


Your Distant Light

by FalconInFlight35



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Character Development, Coping with Grief, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Gen, Human/Pokemon Relationship(s), Slow Burn, Tags will be updated as the story progresses, dark themes, soundtrack
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:35:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28461012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FalconInFlight35/pseuds/FalconInFlight35
Summary: Loss; a feeling Terry Mercer knows all too well, ever since he was young. Etched deep into his heart, grieving for what he’s lost has become a normal part of his life. That is, until he is pressured into the Gym Challenge by his adoptive brothers Hop and Leon. Now, under the eyes of the entire region, he must relearn how to live and love again...or succumb to his own darkness. Novelization of Pokémon Sword & Shield.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I finally got around to writing the start of the "next big story" that I teased at the end of With You Unto Dawn and what better time to start it than the start of the new year! If you've been keeping up with the little Pokemon one-shots I've been posting, those were more or less practice for this. This one's gonna be a little more ambitious than WYUD for a couple of reasons but I'm very excited to see how this story plays out.
> 
> First things first, I'm not adhering to an upload schedule. Chapters will come out when they're ready. The main reason for this is I'm plotting out chapters in advance instead of improvising everything off the top of my head like I did with WYUD. With a story like this, it's kind of necessary.
> 
> Second, this is a novelization of Pokemon Sword and Shield, but liberties will be taken with characters and locations to help fit the context of the story. Things like character ages will be changed (i.e 16-17 for the main character and rivals like Hop, Marine, Bede, etc.), the Wild Area and some routes will actually take more than a minute to traverse...stuff like that.
> 
> Thirdly, there will be dark themes in this story, some blood, language, and cartoon violence, hence the T rating.
> 
> Lastly, there is a soundtrack going with this story. I started to experiment with it in the last couple of chapters of WYUD, but I'm bringing it full force for this story. You're not obligated to do so (and you won't hurt my feelings), but it helps to enhance the reading experience. When you come across a prompt for a song, just open the hyperlink in a new tab and read with the music until told to stop playing.
> 
> Anyway, I think I've said all I wanted to say. Comments are always appreciated and if you like what you read, be sure to leave kudos.
> 
> Enjoy!

" _And she does it again! With an overwhelming victory, Laura Mercer defends her title as Champion of Unova!"_

The young boy's smile widened as he watched his mother's Pokémon surround her in celebration while she raised the white bandana that she always wore over her head. Despite hailing from another region, she had ended up taking Unova by storm with battle after battle, win after win, culminating in becoming champion and protecting her title for the past two years.

"She never ceases to amaze, huh?"

The boy turned to see his father kneeling behind him, his own eyes sparkling with joy underneath his hat as he watched the woman on the television screen.

"Are you ever gonna do something like that, Dad?"

The man chuckled, "I'm not one to steal the spotlight from your mother. Besides..." He stood up and thumped a fist against his chest, grinning so wide the room itself lit up. "One day, they'll speak the name of Garrett Mercer once I discover that which has never been discovered before!"

"Umbre!"

"Nite!"

An Umbreon and Dragonite appeared behind him, smothering him with affection. He laughed and hugged them close, "Yeah, yeah, they'll say your names too, you goofballs!"

The boy smiled again and turned back to the celebration on screen, watching as his mother collapsed under the weight of her team. He couldn't help but get excited for the day when he would finally get his very own Pokémon. One that would always be by his side, no matter what.

* * *

[ **_ ♪ Now Playing: Before the Story – Deltarune OST ♪ _ ** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUaASluhljw)

* * *

A cough suddenly broke through his thoughts. He blinked and gasped as the world suddenly changed around him. The light from the sun outside was gone, replaced by a dark, cold void.

Another cough.

He whirled around, trying to see through the darkness.

Another cough, harsher this time. Two voices followed it.

" _Don't cry dear...It'll be alright."_

" _You always say that."_

" _Heh, sorry_ ," the voice rasped. _"...It's a bad habit."_

"Mom? Dad?" the boy called out, following in the direction of the voices.

" _You'll take good care of him...I know you will."_

A sniffle, _"...I will. I promise."_

A beeping echoed throughout the darkness, getting slower and slower as the boy kept running towards the voices.

"Dad?!"

" _It's...okay, son. I'm just...going on another...adventure."_

"Dad, please! Don't go!"

" _...I love you."_

The beeping flatlined.

The boy blinked again. He was up in the sky, looking out the window of an airplane as the region he called home shrank below him. He looked behind him to see his mother watching him with tears falling down her face.

He opened his mouth, but any words he wanted to say died in his throat. A dull throbbing manifested in his chest, pressing down on him as he turned back to the window. He didn't even notice the tears falling down his own face.

The boy blinked again. He was looking up at a house. Budew dotted the pathway that led up to the entrance as they tended to the plants and vines that surrounded parts of the house, casting glances towards the three that stood at the end of the path.

"I made sure the place was ready for you just after you called. There should be enough space for you and your boy."

He turned to the sound of the new voice. A woman with dark hair and skin was standing next to his mother. She placed a comforting hand on his mother's shoulder, "...I'm so sorry about what happened, Laura."

"...Thank you, Catherine," she replied with a morose smile, placing her own hand on top of Catherine's.

"You need anything, you let me know. Okay?"

"I will."

The women's hazel eyes moved over to him and she offered him a soft smile. His chest was starting to throb more and more. The boy blinked again. He was sitting on top of a stone wall, mindlessly watching the nearby Wooloo that were grazing in the field.

"Hey!"

He flinched and whipped his head around to the new arrival. A boy around his age hopped up onto the fence next to him and flashed him a grin.

"You don't mind if I sit here, do ya?"

He shook his head.

"Great! I'm Hop by the way!" the boy said, extending his hand. "What's your name?"

"...T-Terry," he mumbled, glancing between him and the outstretched hand before tentatively shaking it.

"Well, it's nice to meetcha Terry! My mum told me about you and your mum moving in next door. I'm glad we get to be neighbors!"

A loud cough broke through the clearing. The boy jerked his hand away from Hop and whirled around. He could only vaguely hear Hop's voice grow fainter and fainter as the coughing grew louder. With one last blink, the field vanished, replaced by a hospital room. Lying on the bed was his mother. The long brown hair that she always had was now reduced to a stubble and dark bags had formed under her eyes as she continued to cough into her arm. The beeping of the heart monitor echoed around them.

"Mom..."

Her coughing fit stopped as she looked over at him with a smile, "Hey, honey...I'm sorry you...have to see me like this."

"You'll...you'll get better, right?"

The smile on her face wavered, "I..."

"Tell me you'll get better...please."

"Terry..."

She reached out to him, gently brushing her hand against his head. The throbbing in the boy's chest becoming unbearable as he watched his mother gasp for breath. With stinging eyes, he buried his face into the bedside.

"Please...not you too..." he sobbed. "I don't want to lose you too."

"Terry..."

His hands clenched the blankets so hard his knuckles began turning white, "Please, mom..."

The beeping began slowing down.

"Don't leave me..."

"Shhh...it's going to be...okay."

His cries were drowned out by the beeping as it grew louder and started to slow.

"I'll...always love you, Terry. I know...you'll do amazing things."

All he could hear was the sound of the heart monitor flatlining before his eyes shot open to see his alarm clock ringing out next to him.

* * *

_** ♪ Stop Playing ♪ ** _

* * *

The alarm continued to blare as shivers continued to wrack his body. Only after realizing he was truly awake that he finally released his death grip on the bed and reached out to turn off the alarm. With a shaky breath, he fell back into staring off into space while the nightmare etched itself into his memory. Another one to add to his growing collection of night terrors.

A knock at the door tore him out of his stupor.

"Oy, Terry! You awake in there?"

He sighed and turned his back to the door. Maybe if he didn't say anything, they would go away.

"Aw, c'mon mate. I can hear ya moving around in there! You're not still sleeping, are ya?"

"...Not anymore," he groaned. "What do you want, Hop?"

"Mate, do you know what time it is? You've been asleep-"

"I noticed. Now what do you want?"

A sigh came from the door, "Well, Mum wanted us to head down to Wedgehurst to pick up some stuff for dinner tomorrow since Lee's gonna be here. She's gonna be makin' barbeque!"

"Can't you go by yourself?"

"Aw, don't be like that! It's better with you around! Besides, Mum would probably raise a fuss at ya for still being in bed. You can't stay there all day!"

"If only..." Terry mumbled to himself before throwing off his covers and sitting up on the bed, "Alright, give me a minute. Let me at least get dressed."

"Aces! See ya downstairs!"

With the sound of Hop moving away from the door, he forced himself onto his feet and trudged over to his dresser with a yawn. Pulling out his black loose-top shirt and grey hoodie that he always wore as well as his blue jeans, he looked over himself in the mirror that hung on the inside of the dresser door.

Emerald green eyes gazed back at him as he ran a hand through his ash-brown hair, pushing aside the wavy tuft of hair that fell in front of his eye. It's not like he really cared about how he looked in the first place, but Catherine would get onto him if he didn't at least look decently presentable in public.

He lingered on his reflection for a few more seconds, running a hand over his arm. His bandages felt loose. He'd need to replace them soon.

With one last look at himself, he shut the dresser door, reached over to his bedside table, and pulled out one of the drawers. Laying inside was his mother's old white bandana. The one she always wore during her battles. He stared down at it, emotions threatening to crack open before he pushed them down and tied the scarf around his neck.

Now he could get on with the day.

Stepping out of his room and following the stairs down to ground level, he saw Hop leaning against the door, already sporting his usual parka jacket and tapping his foot until his eyes found Terry's. He grinned at him, "Mornin' Terry! Or I guess I should say 'afternoon' considering how long you've been asleep for."

Terry merely grunted in reply as he slipped on his pair of black sneakers. Catherine was at the sink in the kitchen washing dishes when she caught sight of him.

"Good to see you up. Can I fix you anything to eat before you go?" she asked, offering him a soft smile.

He didn't return it. "I'll just get something in town."

Her smile faded. She wanted to say something to him, but given what tomorrow was for him, she thought otherwise. She dried off her hands and handed Hop a slip of paper, "Here's what I'll need for tomorrow. The market should have everything, so it shouldn't take you two that long."

"No problem, Mum! We'll back before you can say 'Corviknight'!"

"I'm sure," she tittered. "Now get going or your brother's going to wonder why there isn't any barbeque for him."

Hop turned around only to see the door closing with Terry now nowhere in sight. He huffed and waved goodbye to his mom before following after him.

Dirt and gravel crunched under Terry's feet as he passed through the gate that connected the main road of Postwick and the house. His eyes drifted over to the neighboring house. Vines and leaves now covered most of the house with the Budew content with leaving it that way. He reached up and tightly gripped his bandana as he tore his eyes away from it. That place was nothing but bad memories now.

"Hey, don't go leavin' without me!" Hop called out to him as he raced up to him.

Terry released his grip and stuffed his hands into his pockets, "Did you get the list?"

Hop held up the slip, "Got it right here."

With a nod, Terry began turning away.

"Oh, hold up! I almost forgot!"

Terry stopped his tracks when he heard the familiar sound of a Pokéball opening behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Hop's Wooloo bleat out a greeting to the two boys before nuzzling into Hop's leg.

"Couldn't forget 'bout Wooloo here," Hop grinned. "I'm sure he'd want to walk with us."

"Beh eh eh!"

Terry stared at the pair. He had never gotten his own Pokémon like Hop. Back in Unova, he had been eagerly awaiting the day when he would come of age and receive his starter.

Of course, then everything happened and that hope had fizzled away, like a match snuffed out by darkness.

He turned away from the two, "C'mon, we should get those errands done."

The walk to Wedgehurst was silent at first before Hop decided to break it by talking about Leon's most recent battle. If there was anything that Hop loved raving about, it was his brother. Whether it was his battles or his ability to somehow get lost no matter where he went, Terry was pretty sure Hop could talk about him all day.

It wasn't a feeling that Terry reciprocated. He hardly ever saw him aside from his visits that usually only lasted one of two days, though that was mostly because Terry stayed in his own room, and watching Leon's battles didn't have the same wonder that he used to get from watching his mom's battles. Once again, his hand drifted up to his scarf, his heart aching at the mere thought that he would never see his mom battle again. The nightmare he had this morning certainly wasn't doing him any favors.

"Hey, you alright Terry?"

Hop's voice stirred him out of his trance and brought him back to reality. He placed his hand back into his pocket, "I'm fine. Just got a lot on my mind."

He felt a hand pat his shoulder, "No worries, mate. We're here though."

* * *

[ **_ ♪ Now Playing: A Town Called Hometown – Osiris Music ♪ _ ** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndhprVKeKWk)

* * *

The dirt road had given way to the cobblestone bridge that led into the town of Wedgehurst. The quiet borough was nothing if not familiar to Terry now and, at times, it even reminded him of Accumula Town because of how small and hilly it was. It had everything you would need too. A train station to other parts of Galar, a Pokémon Center, the Research Lab that the town was known for, and a small cropping of shops and stores just beyond the station.

Terry and Hop made their way there, passing by other people and their Pokémon that were out under the clear blue sky, until they stood in front of one of the shops.

"Alright, so..." Hop started, pulling out the list, "Looks like Mum needs some Cheri, Chesto, and Pecha berries as well as some vegetables since she's out." He looked up from the list. "How about we split up? You get the berries and I'll get the rest."

Terry nodded and watched Hop race to one corner of the shop with Wooloo at his heels. Wanting to quickly get back home and into his bed, he headed over to the other corner.

The walls burst to life with the different colored berries that lined them. As Terry plucked a berry from each pile and threw it into the bag he carried, his warring mind constantly wandered back to the nightmare. It wasn't the first time he had that nightmare, but it still froze him to his core every time he was forced to relive those memories. Not like he wanted to forget, but he could do without waking up in a cold sweat.

He didn't realize he had zoned out until he felt another person bump into him, causing him to drop his bag.

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry!"

He whipped around to see a women with peach hair and a tan peacoat bending down to pick up his bag with a guilty look on her face, "I was not looking where I was going at all! I'm so sorry! Oh..." She peered inside the bag and promptly facepalmed, "And some of the berries are bruised."

"I-It's fine..." Terry stammered, "I can just get some new ones..."

"Well, at least let me pay for it! I'd feel like such a twit if I just ran off after ruining your shopping."

"Oh, um..." He reached up to grab the bandana, "Sure, I guess."

The woman smiled, "Great! Let me carry that for you." In the blink of an eye, she swiped the newly-refilled bag of berries from Terry and placed it around her arm. She began walking back to the entrance and Terry stumbled to follow after her, still taken aback by what had just happened.

"And done!" The woman handed the bag back to him after paying. "Sorry again. Hope this makes up for before."

Terry sweatdropped, "You really didn't have to do this..."

"Oh, hush...it was really the least I could do." She looked down at her watch, "Oh, shoot! I better get back soon or Gran'll give me hell. See ya!"

In another blink of an eye, the woman raced out the store, leaving Terry standing dumbfounded. He blinked before sighing and shaking his head. Well, THAT happened.

"There ya are, mate!" Terry looked up to see Hop standing in the entrance with a bag over his shoulders with his Wooloo next to him and a wide grin on his face, "I could've bought out the entire store while you were still in there."

Terry raised an eyebrow, "I doubt you could with how little money you have."

"Well, if I did, then I definitelywould have bought out the entire store before you were done," Hop replied cheekily.

Terry rolled his eyes and was about to walk past him when a choir of cheers rang out nearby.

* * *

[ **_ ♪ Switch To: Trainer Battle – Pokémon Sword and Shield OST ♪ _ ** ](https://youtu.be/o0LZKtKV3lI)

* * *

Hop glanced in its direction before looking back at Terry with stars in his eyes.

"Oh, there's a battle going on! C'mon mate, let's go watch!"

Hop raced ahead, leaving Terry behind in his wake. With a sigh and a slump of his shoulders, he slowly trudged along after him. Eventually, he reached the crowd of people that were surrounding the battle that Terry could see happening over their shoulders.

"Nickit, go for a Quick Attack!"

"Fly out of reach and use Hone Claws, Rookidee!"

The Nickit raced forward, bathed in a faint white glow, but came up short as the Rookidee soared up into the air out of the Fox Pokemon's reach. Utilizing its position, the Rookidee's claws began glowing red as it spun around the arena before the aura dissipated.

"Alright, Power Trip!"

With a cry, the Rookidee launched itself toward the Nickit on the ground.

"Sucker Punch!"

Just as the Rookidee was inches away, the Nickit suddenly leapt towards it, brandishing its own claws and swiping the Rookidee across its beak. The Rookidee flew across the arena before shaking itself out of its daze and returned to its side of the field.

"Man, that Sucker Punch was brutal!" Hop cheered next to Terry. "If that Nickit's trainer stays patient when the Rookidee's in the air, he might win this!"

"I guess, but it would've been nice if they weren't in the middle of the road," Terry mumbled.

"Scary Face!" The Rookidee's trainer called out.

The Rookidee's red eyes glowed before a menacing black aura materialized around it. The Nickit flinched at the display, its body trembling and unable to tear its eyes away from the opposing Pokémon.

"Now use Fury Attack!"

The Bird Pokémon shot forward, thrusting its beak several times into the Nickit. After one last violent thrust, the Nickit flew back and landed at the feet of its trainer with swirls in its eyes.

* * *

**_ ♪ Stop Playing ♪ _ **

* * *

The trainer sighed in defeat and recalled his Pokémon back into its ball before meeting his opponent in the middle of the field and shaking their hand.

"That Rookidee of yours sure is tough. Good battle, though!"

"Oh, don't worry. You had me on the ropes a couple of times. Hope we can battle again soon!"

The crowd around them cheered at the display before beginning to disperse.

"Man, that was aces," Hop gushed. "I better remember that strategy so I can use it in the Gym Challenge."

Terry raised an eyebrow, "I don't see how one impromptu battle is going to help when you have all of Leon's matches recorded."

Hop looked over at him with an incredulous look, "What are you talking about, mate? Watching and learning from EVERY battle is essential if we want to take on the Gym Challenge!"

"You mean when YOU take on the Gym Challenge."

"Just think! Standing in the middle of Wyndon Stadium with the crowd cheering your name..."

Terry groaned, "Hop..."

"And having all those lights and cameras on ya..."

"Hop-"

"And once I beat Lee, I'll make that dream a reality!"

"Hop, I'm not going to do it, no matter how much you play it up to be."

"Oh, don't be like that. I'm sure you would do great! Besides, wasn't your mom a-"

Terry whirled towards him with anger in his eyes as he fiercely gripped his bandana, "Hop, shut up. Right now."

Hop flinched and Wooloo hastily retreated behind his legs. Hop raised his arms up in front of him, "S-Sorry, that wasn't what I meant to say. I didn't mean to upset you..."

As swiftly as it came, Terry's anger subsided.

"C'mon, let's just get back home..." he mumbled, readjusting the bag on his shoulder before moving past Hop without another word.

As Hop watched him go, he felt Wooloo bump his leg, "Meh?"

He sighed and reached down to pet the Pokemon's wool, "It's okay Wooloo. He'll be alright. It's my fault I got him so wound up."

Wooloo looked between him and Terry, "Beh, beh?"

He faltered as he looked back at Terry's retreating form. "He's...just been through a lot."

* * *

The rest of the day rolled by quietly for Terry. After bringing back the berries Catherine had asked for, he retreated back up to his room. The only place where he could collect himself after getting angry at Hop. The boy had a habit of being reckless with both his words and actions. A habit that Terry constantly wished he would break, but wishing was really all he could do.

It wasn't until dinner that he left his room again and gained another apology from Hop. It quelled Terry's irritation, but he knew something like that would happen again and they would end up repeating the cycle. He closed his eyes and calmed himself down. Come tomorrow, it'll be like it never happened.

His eyes opened to see the ceiling of his room. It felt weird, knowing that he had taken over what was essentially Leon's room, and it still felt weird every time Leon came home and said he was fine with sleeping on the couch. Terry's eyes drifted over to the wall of hats that hung over his bedside table. Even with his mom gone, he still couldn't escape the presence of a champion. He was lucky Leon's trophy was down in the living room and not in here, otherwise he might've gone mad just looking at the thing.

* * *

[ **_ ♪ Now Playing: His Theme – Laura Platt ♪ _ ** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPPH6jwHKCo)

* * *

He sat up and untied the bandana from his neck, staring down at it with a mix of nostalgia and sadness.

"Why..." he whispered to it. "Why did you both have to leave me..."

He pushed his face into the scarf as he forced himself to remember them. His dad—always so eager to see the world and to find something he had never seen before—and his mom—so powerful in battle yet so compassionate when it came to those she loved, both her family and her Pokémon. He wondered briefly if her team she left in Unova even knew what had happened to her, that she would never come back to them, that they were now without their Trainer.

Terry felt the pinpricks of tears fall onto the bandana. He gripped it tighter, "I miss you both so much..."

He pulled his face away from the bandana and looked up at the stars that shined outside his window. Even with their light pouring through it, everything still felt so dark and empty to him. So far away...just like they were.

He let out a shaky breath and fell back onto his bed, not letting go of the bandana. Maybe somewhere out there, they were watching him. Maybe somewhere out there, there would be something to make him feel like he wouldn't be trapped in his own darkness for the rest of his life.

Maybe...

"Goodnight..." he whispered into the scarf before letting his eyes fall shut.

* * *

**_ ♪ Stop Playing ♪ _ **

* * *

**Meanwhile in Wyndon...**

* * *

The stars up in the sky were so pretty tonight. She was sure she would never grow tired of staring up at them.

A ring of a phone broke her out of her reverie as the man relaxing on the bed sat up and pulled the ringing object out of his pocket. After hitting a couple buttons, he spoke.

"Hey, Mum! I'm surprised to hear you calling this late."

She glanced over her shoulder. While the other side of the conversation wasn't loud enough for the others in the room to hear, she could do so just fine thanks to her ears.

"I know it is a bit late Leon, but I just wanted to give you one last call before you came by tomorrow."

Leon waved a dismissive hand in the air, "Ah, it's no big deal. It's always nice to hear from you. How's Hop and Terry doing?"

"Hop is very excited that you're coming," the voice on the phone giggled. "He's already thrown out some guesses at the table about what you might be bringing."

"Of course he has. I wouldn't expect him to do anything less," Leon laughed. "What about Terry?"

The voice suddenly got quiet. Confused, she strained her ears harder than she normally would until she heard the voice sigh.

"You know what tomorrow is for him, right?"

Leon's face darkened, "...Yeah, I do."

"He's been very closed off for most of the day and I expect it'll continue into tomorrow," the voice said with a shaky breath. "...I'm worried about him."

"I am too." Leon glanced over at the three other inhabitants in the room. "Hopefully, he'll like the present I'm bringing for him."

"I hope so too. Just keep your eye on him when you're here, okay?"

Leon turned back to the phone, "I will Mum."

"Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow. I love you."

"Love you too, Mum."

The voice went away and Leon brought the phone down from his ear. He turned back to the three with a smile, "Alright. I hope you all are looking forward to tomorrow! It'll be a champion time for sure!" With that, he retreated into the restroom.

" _Hey, Scorbunny."_

She looked over at one of her friends.

" _What do you think that was all about?"_

She shrugged, " _I dunno, Grookey, but it sounded pretty serious when they started talking about whoever 'Terry' is."_

" _Do you think they were worried he'd be a good Trainer?"_ the third Pokemon, a Sobble, mumbled out.

Grookey patted Sobble on their shoulder, " _I don't think we should worry too much about it until we actually get there."_

Scorbunny smiled at her friends before turning back to the night sky. Whatever happened tomorrow, a lot was going to change. She was going to have a Trainer and go on so many adventures!

This "Terry" though—part of her couldn't help but wonder about why Leon and the voice on the phone were so worried about him. Was he really a nice Trainer or were they worried about something else? She remained hopeful. If anything, she was excited to meet this person. Maybe he would end up choosing her. Maybe she could help him with whatever was making Leon and the other voice worry.

Maybe...

* * *

_**Your Distant Light** _

**Act I:**

**Dissent**


	2. Chosen

* * *

[ _**♪ Now Playing: Homesick – OneShot OST ♪** _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksKlA84d-UU)

* * *

One year.

Those two words echoed inside Terry's mind as he lay curled up on his bed, clutching the bandana close to him; the last vestige of her memory that he desperately clung to. The pillow had grown damp from collecting the tears that had streaked down his face during the night and into the morning.

One year from today was when it all happened, yet the ache of his heart made it feel like it had happened just yesterday. The day when his mom succumbed to the same illness as his father and he had no choice but to be taken in by Hop's family. The day his entire life grew darker.

If he thought hard enough, he could swear he could almost hear her voice. Laughing, crying, smiling...it was like she had never even gone. Maybe if he stayed in bed for the whole day, he could find some semblance of comfort in the fiction that she never got sick, that he never spent days crying at her bedside in the hospital, begging and pleading for her to get better, that her Pokémon were still with them, ready to go on the next adventure, that his dad was still with them and telling them both stories of his travels.

But that's all it was. Fiction, a false reality that he knew could never be real. Even if he prayed to Jirachi itself, death was irreversible and there was nothing he could to bring them back.

He frowned at the rays of light that peeked through the window and attacked his eyes. How could the sun shine so bright outside, yet his world still felt so dark and cold? How could he keep up with reality's nonstop march through life when he was still stuck frozen in time?

* * *

_**♪ Stop Playing ♪** _

* * *

A soft knock came from the door.

"Terry? Are you awake in there?"

He glanced over his shoulder at the door before turning away without a reply. He didn't care if Catherine yelled at him. He didn't have the energy TO care.

There was silence before he heard the door squeak open. He mentally braced himself for the scolding but froze when he felt the bed sag under a new weight. He remained still when he heard a sigh.

"...Terry, I'm not going to pretend like I don't know what today means to you."

He felt a hand fall onto his shoulder. "She meant a lot to me too...and I miss her so much." Her grip tightened. "I don't think she would want you to stay cooped up in your room, but I don't want to force you to do something you're unwilling to do."

Terry felt the weight vanish as her footsteps moved away from him.

"Leon is coming by to visit today and Hop wanted to know if you'd like to come along with him to pick Leon up from the station."

Terry sighed; an act that didn't go unnoticed by Catherine.

"I know Hop can be a bit overbearing at times, but he does truly mean well. Again, I won't force you, but...just think about it, okay?"

The door squeaked shut, leaving Terry alone once again in his room. Interacting with anyone was the last thing he wanted to do today, but a stab of guilt stopped that thought in its tracks. Regardless of how he felt, there was a sliver of truth in Catherine's words.

He sat up on the bed and stared down at the bandana in his hands. Grief wasn't something that just vanished in a day. It was dull and ever-present; the throbbing in his heart made that much clear.

He turned towards the world outside his window. He dreaded going out there, knowing he wouldn't be able to keep up with Hop's energy. It'd tire Terry out before he even took a step outside, but knowing him, Hop would probably keep bugging him about going to get Leon until he did...

With a sigh, he tied the bandana around his neck and stood up from the bed. He skipped his morning routine since he was already dressed from yesterday and opened his door to the outside world with a grimace.

Today was going to be a long day.

* * *

Hop tore his eyes from the Pokémon battle happening on the TV when he heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. As much as he wanted to keep watching Leon's most recent battle, the sight of Terry out of his room dwarfed the spectacle that took place on the screen.

"Terry! You're up!" He exclaimed, jumping up from the couch. On his way over to Terry, he caught his mother giving him a serious look. He nodded. The message was clear.

_Take it easy with him today._

"...Heard Leon was coming by today," Terry mumbled out.

Hop grinned and placed his hands behind his head, "Yup! Today's been brutal waiting for him. If I didn't know any better, I would've thought Mum crammed him into a cupboard somewhere before I got to see him."

"Have some patience, Hop," Catherine's voice came from the kitchen, "He's probably only just getting into Wedgehurst."

On cue, her phone buzzed. She grabbed it, reading over the message before flashing the two boys a smile, "Now you can go get him."

"Wicked!" Hop cheered. "C'mon mate, let's go get him!"

Terry nodded silently as he followed Hop out the door, glancing at Catherine one last time before disappearing outside. Her smile fell as the sounds of their footsteps faded away from the house. Reaching over to a nearby cabinet, she opened it and looked on the inside of the door to see a picture of her and Laura smiling at the camera, back when they were just taking their first steps on their own journey. With a melancholic smile, she ran her thumb over the image of her friend.

"...I'm trying to do my best for him, Laura. I'm trying my best..."

* * *

The road in front of the train station was packed with people eagerly awaiting the arrival of the champion. Word had spread that he would be visiting for a couple of days and everyone and their mother jumped at the chance to see their beloved champion.

It was only until the man himself exited the train station with a flourish of his cape and his Charizard by his side that the cheers grew in volume.

* * *

[ _**♪ Now Playing: Champion Leon's Theme - Pokémon Sword and Shield OST ♪** _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBz0owlGAps)

* * *

"Hello, hello, Wedgehurst! Your champion has arrived!"

Behind the crowd stood Hop and Terry with the former sporting a wide grin as he gazed upon the champion that he was proud to call his brother. Terry nervously glanced around at the sea of people that surrounded him, keeping a firm grip on his bandana and wishing they would vanish so that the three of them could get back home.

"Leon! That Charizard of yours is amazing!" someone from the crowd cheered.

Leon grinned and puffed out his chest, "Well, thank you! I hope you'll all keep training your own Pokémon then come challenge me for the title!"

His Charizard let loose a roar, one that raised the excitement of people watching it.

"Lee! Over here!" Hop called out, jumping up and waving his hand to grab the champion's attention.

With a beaming smile, Leon parted the crowd with Charizard following behind him.

"So, my number-one fan in the entire region has gone out of his way to pick me up!"

"What, you thought I wouldn't?" Hop cheekily responded.

Leon chuckled, "Well it was hard to recognize you at first seeing as how you've grown an inch and quarter since I last saw you."

"That eye of yours is still as sharp as ever!" Hop grinned, folding his arms over his chest.

Leon smiled back at his little brother before turning to the plus one, "Of course, I can't forget about my other biggest fan!" His expression softened as his eyes fluttered over the bandana tied around the boy's neck. "How've you been Terry?"

"...I'm still here, Leon."

Leon grimaced at the cold response for a split second before reverting back to his normal champion persona, "Glad to hear it. I'm sure we've got some catching up to do once we get back home."

Terry merely grunted in reply, glancing at the crowd behind him with his hand still holding his bandana before looking back at Leon.

"Can we go now?"

Leon nodded and turned back to the crowd, "Well, everyone, I bid you all farewell!" A few groans came from the audience. "Don't you fret, though! I'll always be around to make sure everyone has a champion time!"

He struck his iconic pose, quelling the worries of the crowd.

Hop impatiently kicked at the pebbles by his feet, "C'mon, you two! Bet I can beat the both of you back home!" With that, Hop swiftly turned around and took off down the route, leaving Terry and Leon in his dust.

* * *

_**♪ Stop Playing ♪** _

* * *

The champion saw Terry sigh in defeat out of the corner of his eye and looked over at him with a sheepish grin.

"That Hop...always wanting to be the best, no matter what, huh?"

Terry's gaze was set on the ground in front of him, "You can go after him. I'll just catch up."

Leon frowned. Yeah, Terry was definitely a lot more closed off than usual. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but promptly closed it. Terry's situation was one that Leon couldn't possibly comprehend. He was fortunate enough not to have experienced loss, but even standing next to Terry, he could feel the boy's sadness, radiating out of him like a beacon. Even Charizard seemed to sense it as he nudged Leon's arm with his snout.

Leon placed a hand on Terry's shoulder, "If that's what you want. I'll leave Charizard with you just in case."

Charizard nodded, stepping up next to the boy. With a smile, Leon chased after Hop. Terry watched him go before glancing over at the Flame Pokémon, who was gazing back at him in return with a worried expression. The dragon was well-acquainted with Terry and knew him well enough to know about what Terry was going through. The white bandana was familiar enough to him to know that its original owner was no longer around.

"C'mon, we should get going," Terry said before setting off at a much slower pace back towards Postwick. Charizard stayed by his side, not wanting the boy to feel anymore alone than he already felt.

Leon and Hop were waiting for Terry by the battle arena in the front yard when he and Charizard finally arrived.

"There you are, mate! Lee was just about to tell us about the present he brought for us, right?" Hop said, looking over at the champion with a wide-eyed grin.

Leon chuckled, "Seems I'm not the only one with a sharp eye."

Terry's brow furrowed. Leon always brought gifts for the two of them, though Terry usually always declined them much to Leon's disappointment. He was prepared to do the same thing, but something about Leon's posture and wider than normal smile made Terry slightly curious; a feeling that morphed into suspicion when Leon kept glancing over at him.

Terry leaned against the stone wall across from the arena as Leon flaunted his cape, "Alright, you two. I hope you both like this."

In the blink of an eye, he reached inside his cape and tossed three red and white orbs onto the field. With a burst of light, the Pokéballs opened, revealing its inhabitants: a Grookey, a Sobble, and a Scorbunny. The three took in their surroundings before splitting off to different parts of the arena. The Grookey and Sobble headed towards the tree and pond while the Scorbunny ran around the arena, its feet causing spots of flame to stick to the asphalt.

Leon watched the three Pokémon run around with a grin, that familiar fire of passion igniting within him, "I brought these three for you two to choose, so you can grow stronger together. That way, when the time comes, you'll be strong enough to even reach-"

"No."

The yard fell silent as all eyes turned to Terry.

* * *

[_**♪ Now Playing: Recollection ~ ** _ _**Forgotten Legend – Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney OST ♪** _](https://youtu.be/0EefnP7Nwrg)

* * *

The boy was completely still, gripping his bandana in a vice. The blood from his face had drained, rendering him a wide-eyed ghost.

Alarms rang out in Leon's head, "Terry? What's wrong?"

The three Pokémon perked up upon hearing his name, finally being able to put a face to the name they first heard last night. The Scorbunny in particular came to a stop in the middle of the arena and paid closer attention to the ash-brown-haired boy as he constantly swapped his fearful gaze between the two brothers and the three Pokémon before realizing his outburst.

His cheeks flushed and he rubbed his arm, "I-I mean, I don't think it'd be a good idea for me to...have one."

Hop raised an eyebrow, "Why not?"

A chill raced up Terry's spine. "B-Because it just wouldn't, okay?"

"But...didn't you used to want your own Pokémon back in Unova though?"

"Yeah, but that was before-"

Terry suddenly choked on his words. His grip on his bandana tightened even more as he looked away from everyone. Leon took a small step forward but stopped when Terry rubbed his eyes.

"Sorry, I...I need to be alone right now."

Without waiting for a response, Terry left the yard and retreated down Route 1.

Hop started to go after him, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him in his tracks. He looked back to see Leon with a woeful look in his eye.

"Leave him be, Hop. Today's a tough day for him," he said, glancing at the house across the street.

Hop sighed, "I know..."

"In the meantime, why don't you go ahead and choose? You are included in this gift after all."

"Oh, sure!" Hop perked up and turned to the arena, only for his brow to furrow in confusion. "Umm, Lee?"

"Yeah?"

"I think one is missing."

Leon whipped his head to see only the Grookey and Sobble staring back at them. The Scorbunny was missing.

* * *

Terry buried his face into his arms once he was well away from the house, leaning up against the fence that followed along the path.

Why did he have to get out of bed today? Why did it have to be a Pokémon? Of all the days, why did it have to be today?

His hand hovered back over the bandana. Getting a Pokémon was what he was so excited for back in Unova, but now...now it frightened him. The younger him might've been happy to finally have his starter, but not now. He wasn't ready to be a Trainer.

* * *

_**♪ Stop Playing ♪** _

* * *

"Ny-bun?"

Terry's head shot up to see a pair of small, black beady eyes right in front of his face.

"WOAH!"

He flinched back from the fence with one hand on his bandana and the other on his heart.

"Arceus alive! Don't...do that!" Terry panted, "Nearly gave me a heart attack..."

The Rabbit Pokémon's orange tipped ears dropped forward, "S-Scorbun..."

Terry took a minute to catch his breath as he eyed the Pokémon standing on the fence in front of him. Its ears and toes were tipped with orange markings, a small orange band wrapped around its neck, and a yellow band sat between its eyes. By all accounts, it was an average Scorbunny.

Terry heaved a sigh once he was finished calming himself down, "...You didn't have to follow me. I wanted to be alone."

It tilted its head at him before pointing a paw at his face, "Scor? Bunny scor bun?"

He furrowed his brow and reach up to his eye. He felt the wetness of tears that were held back and he instantly went to work wiping them away.

"I'm fine. It's nothing for you to worry about."

The Scorbunny frowned at him.

"And no, I don't want you feeling sad for me."

Terry rubbed his hands over his face before looking back at the Scorbunny. He flinched slightly at the Scorbunny's offended reaction. He grabbed his bandana, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. Today is just a really crappy day for me."

"Bunny scor," the Rabbit Pokémon relaxed and nodded its head, accepting the apology.

Terry sighed again. Today has just been full of surprises. First, Leon brings he and Hop Pokémon to choose from, then the Scorbunny follows him after his partial meltdown? Mom and Dad would definitely find it all amusing for sure.

He brushed aside the hair that blocked his eye, "Leon and the others are probably wondering where you went off to. We should get you back to them, little guy."

The Scorbunny raised an unamused eyebrow at him.

He blinked, "...Little...gal then?"

She smiled and nodded her head again.

"Good to know...I guess..." he sweatdropped and began walking back to the brothers that he had so abruptly left. The Scorbunny followed along on top of the fence, hopping over the support posts to keep up with him.

"Scor scorbun?"

Terry glanced over at the Rabbit Pokémon with a raised eyebrow, "Uh...sorry. I'm not very fluent in 'Scorbunny'."

She snorted, amused at his unintentional joke. She pointed a paw at herself, "Scorbunny." She then pointed the paw at him, "Ny-bun?"

His brow furrowed before he blinked, "Oh. You're asking for my name, aren't you?"

"Scor!"

He stared at the fire-type with a wistful expression before sighing quietly.

"Well, I'm pretty sure you already know it, but...it's Terry."

"...Bunny..."

She smiled and leaped at him, wrapping her arms around his. He stiffened and raised the Scorbunny up to his face. He pried the affectionate Pokémon off his arm and set her back on the fence with her giving him a confused look.

"Sorry. Not a touchy-feely kind of guy."

She frowned but kept up with him as he began to walk again. She'd try again. If she wanted to get through to him, she'd keep trying. It was obvious he was sad about something and she made it her mission to hopefully see him smile.

* * *

The yard came back into view. Leon was gone but Hop was still present, crouched in front of another Pokemon. Hop and the Grookey looked up at the sound of crunching gravel to see Terry arrive.

Hop smiled, "Hey, mate! You alright?"

"...A little bit."

"Glad to hear. By the way, you didn't happen to see a Scorbunny on your way back, did you?"

Terry scratched his chin, "Uh...about that..."

On cue, the Scorbunny leaped over Terry's shoulder, landing in front of him with a wide grin. Terry sweatdropped.

"She...kinda came after me."

"Guess you didn't have any say in choosing her, huh?" Hop laughed.

"Now, wait a minute..." Terry started, "I didn't say anything about choosing her. She just wanted to check on me." He grabbed his bandana as he looked away from Hop's disappointed eyes, "My decision hasn't changed on that."

The Grookey shot Scorbunny a questioning look, only to receive a frown in return.

"Are you really sure, mate?" Hop asked.

Terry glanced down at the Scorbunny by his feet. Her sad look made him wince, but he forced himself to look away.

"It's...for the best..."

Hop sighed and got to his feet, flashing a small smile, "Alright. It's your decision. I won't hold it against-"

A loud crash echoed throughout the yard. Terry's brow furrowed and he whipped his head towards the direction of the sound. A gate past his old house was broken open, leading into...

"Oh crap! That Wooloo actually got through into the Slumbering Weald!"

Hop raced past Terry to get a better look. He looked back at him with a determined expression.

"Mate, we gotta rescue it! Who knows what it might run into in there?"

"Wait, hold on. What Wooloo?"

Hop pointed at the now broken fence, "After you left, a random Wooloo started using Tackle on the gate, trying to break through. Leon and I warned it not to, but it just kept going so we ignored it." Hop looked back at the fence, "I didn't think it would actually get through, but now it's only a matter of time before that Wooloo finds trouble!"

Terry glanced up at the currently dimming sky before looking back at his friend, "Hop, it's almost dark. That Wooloo is a lost cause and the last thing we should do is be in there after dark!"

"Don't say that!" Hop said, "We have to at least try! C'mon Grookey!"

"Ookey!"

The Chimp Pokémon hopped onto his shoulder and Hop raced down the path towards the forest. Terry panicked, looking between Hop and the house behind him. He heaved a sigh and chased after him, the Scorbunny on his heels.

"Damn that reckless idiot..."

* * *

[ _**♪ Now Playing: Forest – Silent Hill 2 OST ♪** _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZhvK0lZFxo)

* * *

Terry caught up with Hop scanning the forest around him. Thanks to the thick trees overhead, the Weald was already plunged into darkness with only a faint amount of light to illuminate their foggy surroundings.

"Shoot, I can't see a thing..."

"Which is why we should just go back home instead of staying here," Terry hissed at him.

Hop shook his head, "No way mate. If that Wooloo's in trouble, we gotta help it."

"You...ugh, fine," Terry relented, "But as soon as we find that sheep, we're immediately getting out of here."

"It'll be fine! I'll even make sure we don't run into any wild Corviknight so that what happened to you last time doesn't happen again."

Terry froze in place as Hop started to move further into the forest. He let out a soft shaky breath and rubbed his arm.

"A Corviknight...right..." he whispered.

"Bunny?"

Terry snapped out of his daze and let go of his arm. He turned to the concerned Scorbunny standing by his feet.

"It's nothing," he said with a shake of his head and motioned to her, "Stay close to me."

She nodded and kept a paw on his leg. Terry took a deep breath and slowly followed after Hop.

The forest around them was unnaturally silent. The chitters and chirps of a Sqwovet or Rookidee would echo throughout the forest before quickly falling silent again, almost as if the fog itself was eating the noise until the only thing that could be heard was the boys' footsteps. Hop had pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight, punching a hole through the darkness.

"Wooloo? You around here?" Hop called out quietly, not wanting to alert any wild Pokémon that could easily cut them to pieces. Grookey on his shoulder kept watch, his head whirling around to different areas of the forest. Terry constantly looked down at his feet to make sure Scorbunny was still close by. A few times, Terry would look around them, always having this feeling that they were being watched, but he could never see clearly through all the fog.

After looking through tufts of tall grass and behind trees with no sign of the Wooloo, the path before them began to widen and with it, the fog became thicker and thicker. Not even the light from the phone was enough to cut through it.

Hop looked around uneasily, "This is mad...I can't even see my own hand in front of my face." He shivered, "And why do I feel like we're being watched?"

Terry tried to see through the fog but stopped when he realized something.

* * *

_**♪ Stop Playing ♪** _

* * *

"Hop...listen."

The two boys fell silent. Hop strained himself, trying to hear for anything within the fog. He furrowed his brow, "I don't hear anything. Why? Did you-?"

"No, that's exactly it," Terry whispered hastily, "There's no sound at all."

Hop caught his breath and listened again. Sure enough, the cries of the wild Pokémon and brushing of the leaves had disappeared. Not even the wind could be heard anymore.

Terry scooted his leg in front of the Scorbunny, "...I got a really bad feeling about this..."

"S-Scor...bun..."

None of them moved. The silence surrounding them was deafening and they waited for something, anything, to happen. The fog around was starting to become suffocating and Terry couldn't help but grab onto his bandana, hoping that the mere touch of it would banish the fog.

"Lrrrooooaaarrrd!"

"Grrrrrrrriiieeeld!"

* * *

[ _**♪ Now Playing: I'll Kill You – Silent Hill OST ♪** _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raYnwu_yGmM)

* * *

Hop frantically whipped his head around, "What the hell was that?!"

"We need to get out of here..." Terry took a step back but felt his body turn to ice when a shadow began to form behind Hop. He caught his breath as the shadow grew larger and larger.

"...Hop...behind you..."

Hop froze and slowly began to turn, coming face to face with a large, wolf-like creature. The beast was adorned with cyan fur with pick braids trailing down the scar-covered sides of its body. Its yellow eyes pierced into the shivering boy in front of it. It remained stoic in its posture, yet neither of them could deny the aura of power that radiated from it.

Terry gasped as he felt another presence behind him. Whirling around, he found a similar creature staring straight into his eyes. Bulkier than the one in front of Hop, this one had crimson fur along its body with a blue ponytail protruding from the top of its head. It echoed the same piercing yellow eyes as the other and it gave off the same powerful aura.

"Oh shit..." Terry breathed out as he slowly backed up into Hop.

"This is bad..."

"G-Groo..."

The Scorbunny jumped in front of Terry, defiantly staring up at the creature that stared at them.

"Scor! Ny-bun scor!" she yelled at it.

"No! Don't-"

Terry couldn't finish as the two wolves howled up towards the sky before shifting their stance for battle. The fog began to thicken upon their cry.

"What do we do Terry?!"

"You're JUST now asking me that?!" Terry snapped.

The red wolf in front of Terry began to growl. The Scorbunny's eyes widened and she took a small step back, bumping into Terry's leg.

"Okay...okay..." Terry whispered, "First chance we see, we run for the exit."

"But...what about the Wooloo?!"

"Forget the Wooloo, Hop! They probably already ate it!"

The growls of the wolves grew louder and the fog grew thicker. Terry looked back at the wolf as it took a step towards him. And then another...and another...

Terry gripped his bandana as hard as he could as he stared back at the creature.

"Scor!"

Suddenly, the Scorbunny launched forward towards the beast with its foot extended. Terry choked on his breath as the Rabbit Pokemon fazed through the wolf. The Scorbunny tried again, but her attack still hit nothing but the fog. She jumped back to Terry with a meek whimper.

"Did those Tackles even connect?!" Hop hissed behind him.

Terry shook his head, "N-No...it just fazed right through it!"

The Scorbunny's attack was all it took for the wolf to start speeding towards him, barreling through the fog until it reached its target.

"Hop, MOVE!"

Terry grabbed onto the Scorbunny and threw himself to the side as Hop did the same, narrowly missing the attacking beast. The red-furred one turned towards Terry and began creeping towards him again as the fog continued to grow thicker, eventually getting so thick that Terry lost sight of Hop.

Terry tried to stand up, but his legs were frozen in fear. Just as the beast was on him, he grabbed the Scorbunny again and tossed her away from them.

"Bunny!" she cried out upon hitting the ground.

"Scorbunny, run! Get out of here!"

He turned back to find the creature growling right in his face. Its yellow eyes burned into him as Terry was frozen to the spot. Its face drew closer and closer to his; its breath falling onto Terry's face.

* * *

_**♪ Stop Playing ♪** _

* * *

_This is it then..._

The fear inside Terry began to vanish, replaced by an unnatural calm. The fog around him became too thick for him to see anything but the creature, but he didn't seem to care anymore. His body relaxed as he stared back up at the beast. Terry closed his eyes and fell back onto the ground, awaiting the inevitable.

_Mom...Dad...I'll see you soon..._

The beast froze and stopped growling. Its eyes continued to pierce into the human in front of it, but instead of wanting to attack, it seemed...confused. This boy was...letting this happen to him? The creature glanced over in the direction of the Scorbunny the boy protected with said Pokémon having already fallen unconscious from the fog. It gazed back at the boy. This human was so quick to protect others, yet was so accepting of his own fate?

The wolf stepped back from him, looking over at its sibling who stood over the other knocked out human who was holding onto a Pokéball.

The two stared at each other. It had been a while since anyone stepped foot into this forest, ever since that assistant tried to find evidence of their presence. These two, however...these two were willing to brave this forest, despite the danger, to rescue a simple Wooloo. The red wolf turned back to the boy laying in front of him.

And this one...this one intrigued it most of all. Even having witnessed the human's actions, it could feel the boy's potential; the radiating light of a champion, tainted by a cold, dark sadness that wove its way through every part of the human's body, suffocating that light until it was nothing but a faint glimmer.

The fog wrapped around all of them, but the wolf could not help but hum in thought.

" _How interesting..."_


	3. Starting Line

* * *

[ _**♪ Now Playing: Forest – Silent Hill 2 OST ♪** _ ](https://youtu.be/xHCCXuvt2lo)

* * *

A sudden jolt of pain ran through the Scorbunny's head, forcing her eyes open with a grimace.

" _O-Ow...my head..."_

Very slowly, she lifted herself off the ground. She rubbed at her head, trying to dispel the headache that had woken her. She tried to look around, but all she could see were the blurry images of the forest trees around her and the dark night sky up above.

She groaned. Right, they were in the Slumbering Weald, as the boy named Hop had called it, trying to find a Wooloo before they were attacked by...

Her daze immediately vanished as she remembered the two creatures that had attacked them. Whirling around, she tried to find them within the fog, but it was as if the creatures had never even existed. Her body stayed tensed, ready for any sneak attack but all she could hear were the sounds of wild Pokémon. Her eyes scanned the tree line before stopping on the outline of a person's body lying just ahead of her.

She gasped, completely forgetting about the wolves, and ran towards the unconscious body.

" _Terry? Terry! Are you okay?!"_ she stammered as she shook the body.

A groan coming from behind her made her jump and stand protectively in front of the boy's body. Further away, another lump of shadow started to grow taller until it towered above her. She was ready to charge at it, but the sudden appearance of light revealed the shadow to be Hop. He looked around with the light before his eyes landed on Scorbunny and the unconscious boy behind her.

"Oh, crap...Terry!" he cried out, racing over beside Scorbunny and shaking Terry's body.

It took a few seconds of shaking before the boy began to stir with a groan. His eyes cracked open only to slam shut.

"Hop...can you not...shine the light right in my face?" he rasped, shielding himself from the blinding light.

Hop flinched and moved the light away, "Oh, right. Sorry, mate."

Terry began to sit up but was knocked back by the Scorbunny slamming into his chest with a cry. He stiffened and reached down to pry the Pokémon off.

"Relax, I'm fine...I think." He set her down to her dismay and looked around in confusion. "Where'd those two wolves go?"

Hop shrugged, "No idea, but it's a good thing they're gone-"

"HOP! TERRY!"

Leon's voice broke through the tense, foggy air followed by the stomping of his Charizard. The champion appeared from down the path, rushing up to the two of them and wrapping Hop in a tight hug.

"Oh thank Arceus, you two are safe..." Leon leaned back and flicked Hop in the forehead. "Do you know how worried Mum and I have been?! We thought something had happened to the both of you!"

"S-Sorry, Lee..." Hop mumbled. "We just wanted to find that Wooloo that broke through the gate before something happened to it."

"You mean this Wooloo?" Leon pointed over his shoulder. The two boys looked over to see a Wooloo sitting next to Charizard with said Pokémon giving the sheep a harsh glare.

"I found the little guy just a bit after coming in here."

"Oh," Hop deflated. "Great."

Leon sighed and smiled at him, "Look, I understand why you did it and I'm proud of you for wanting to make sure it's safe, but you know the Slumbering Weald is off-limits..."

"Yeah, I thought we were done for once those mad Pokémon attacked us..."

Leon's body tensed, "...Mad Pokémon? What happened?"

As Scorbunny listened to Hop's recounting of events, she kept glancing over at Terry. So far, he had been silent, looking around the forest with a hand on his bandana. He seemed so unnaturally calm after what they had just been through.

Something had happened after he tossed her away from that Pokémon. She could feel it.

"The fearsome Pokémon that live in the Slumbering Weald..." Leon muttered once Hop had finished his spiel, "Sounds like what Sonia ran into..." He quickly shook out of his thoughts. "Never mind. Let's just get out of here first. It should be fine now that I'm here."

Leon turned and began escorting the boys and Scorbunny out of the forest. She watched Hop lean over to Terry.

"Hey, even though we got an earful from Lee, this whole experience was crazy!" he whispered. "It'd make for a great first page in the tale of my legend, huh?"

"...Whatever you say, Hop."

"Just know that your second page is when Mum chews you out," Leon chimed in with a cheeky grin.

Hop's face paled, "Oh...great..."

Scorbunny giggled slightly at Hop's soon-to-be misfortune but continued watching Terry. The Pokémon from before were gone, the Wooloo was found, and they all were okay.

So why? Why did Terry look...disappointed?

" _Is something bothering you, Scorbunny?"_

She glanced behind her to see Charizard looking down at her.

" _A little bit..."_ she replied. " _But it's probably nothing."_

* * *

_**♪ Stop Playing ♪** _

* * *

The next few minutes for Terry were a blur. Mostly because he wasn't paying attention and didn't bother to. He just wanted this day to end. His battery was running empty due to everything that had happened.

Finally, like coming to the end of a long road trip, he threw himself into bed, content to be back in his own den away from the world. For the first time in who-knows-how-long, Terry felt calm despite the craziness he had survived.

It didn't last as his thoughts went back to that mad Pokémon that had cornered him. Questions about it ran through his mind. What exactly was it? Where had it come from? Was it really the same Pokémon that people in Postwick and Wedgehurst told stories about?

Why was he still alive after being cornered by it?

He groaned, rubbing at his head to quell the rising headache. The last thing he wanted to do was keep thinking about all this. He just wanted to go back to stewing in his own grief. He reached up and untied the bandana, gazing up at it while the light from the moon shined off it. He sighed and set it on the bedside table next to him. The bed under him creaked as he rolled over and closed his eyes, bracing himself for the incoming nightmares.

They didn't take long to come.

* * *

[ _** ♪ Now Playing: Don't Cry – Silent Hill OST ♪ ** _ ](https://youtu.be/Jtl_RtaJnxk)

* * *

Before he knew it, he found himself back in the Slumbering Weald. The fog had already begun to thicken and howls coming from deeper within the forest echoed off the forest wall.

"Hop?" he called out, spinning around to see if he could find the boy. "...Scorbunny?"

The howling became louder. Terry's heart began pounding in his ears as the stomps of the two Pokémon drew closer and closer. With no idea where he was going, he started running in a random direction. Jumping over tall grass, weaving between the trees, it was all he could do to try and lose his pursuers. No matter what he did though, the beasts always sounded closer and closer.

Terry's foot got caught on a tree root, sending him tumbling to the ground. He scrambled to get back up when a deep, guttural growl came from behind him. Slowly, he turned, coming face to face with the creature that he had encountered in the forest. He pushed himself backward in an attempt to get himself as far away from the beast as possible. It drew closer, each painfully slow and methodical. Its yellow eyes stared straight into Terry's soul.

Closer...and closer...

"H-Hop?!" Terry cried out. "Leon?! Anyone?!"

The Pokemon drew closer.

"MOM! DAD! SOMEONE!"

Just as the creature filled Terry's entire vision, a different voice rang out, along with the forest beginning to rumble and shake.

"Bunny! Scorbunny!"

* * *

_**♪ Stop Playing ♪** _

* * *

"Ah...!"

Terry's eyes shot open to be greeted with his body being violently rocked back and forth.

He shot out a hand, "Stop, stop! I'm awake! I'm-"

His words died in his throat when he saw the Scorbunny standing in front of him with a look of worry.

"Oh..." Terry breathed out, "It's just you."

"Ny-bun scor, bunny?"

"Uh, yeah...still don't understand what you're saying."

Scorbunny huffed and pointed at him and then at the bed.

Terry followed her paw, "You...were worried about me having a nightmare?"

"Bun!"

He placed a hand over his heart, still feeling it beat at a million miles an hour. He looked over at his clock, which read 3:34 in the morning. He sighed, "Um...thanks, but I'm probably just gonna have another one as soon as I go back to sleep."

"Scorbun...bunny scor-ny."

* * *

[ _**♪ Now Playing: Vigil – Mass Effect OST ♪** _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IitCQCaKi3E)

* * *

Terry gazed at the Rabbit Pokémon in front of him in silence. This Scorbunny...she's been following him around the entire day. Even in the Slumbering Weald, she had been so worried about him. His brow furrowed.

"...Why are you here? Shouldn't you be with Leon?"

Her ears drooped forward as she folded her hands behind her and, with a soft smile, lightly kicked at the blanket.

"S-Scorbun...bunny scorbun."

Terry sighed, "Look, I'm sorry, but I've already told you. I don't want a-"

"Bunny, scor!" She hopped closer to him with a pleading look. "Ny-bun bunny scorbun!"

"Still can't understand you," Terry deadpanned.

She huffed and pointed at him, "Scor..." She pointed at herself. "...Ny-bun. Scorbun bunny."

Terry frowned. When will this Scorbunny understand that he didn't want a Pokémon? Becoming a Trainer was just BEGGING for so many things to go wrong. He barely had enough energy to take care of himself. How would he be able to handle this? Even battles would be difficult. The only thing he knew about them was what Hop raved about when watching one on TV and what his mother had taught him so many years ago and THAT was foggy at best.

His gaze hovered over to his bandana. What would she think about all of this? Would she be upset that he was so reluctant to have one? She always said that having a Pokémon by your side was one of the greatest things in the world, something that would be with you through thick and thin, through pain and joy.

...She always did love Pokémon. Dad did too.

He turned back to the Scorbunny, who was sitting patiently in front of him.

"If I keep saying 'no', you're not gonna stop trying until I say otherwise, are you?"

She scratched her head sheepishly, "Bun..."

"Are you...really sure that you want me as your Trainer?"

"Bun!" she nodded.

Terry could feel his heart pound against his chest. Arceus, he couldn't believe he was really doing this.

"...F-Fine," he sighed. "I guess if I have no choice..."

"Scorbunny!" she cheered and started to lunge at him before a hand clamped over her mouth.

"Sshhhh! Keep it down!" Terry hissed at her. "I'm not the only one sleeping in this house, you know!"

He let go of her and she smiled sheepishly, "Scorbun, bunny."

He sighed, "Okay...before we go any further, I just want to set a couple things straight. I know I can't understand you, but I don't want you calling me 'master' or anything close to that. It's just 'Terry', got it?"

She nodded.

"Good. Now, the other thing is..." he grimaced. What he was about to do was something his mom and dad had always done for their Pokémon. If he went through with this, there was no going back. "Now...we just need to give you a name."

Her head tilted, "Scor? Ny-bun Scorbunny?"

"It...would just be easier to give you a name instead of calling you 'Scorbunny' all the time. No offense."

"Scorbun."

Terry fell silent as he studied the Scorbunny. His parents had named all of their Pokémon. To them, it helped strengthen the bond between them and their team. Was that really why he was doing this? No, he figured. Circumstances were different. This was just a formality, nothing more. Although, part of him didn't want to throw out some random name.

At last, it came to him.

"Zorah," he said, causing the Scorbunny to perk up. "How's that sound?"

She grinned, "Bun! Bun!"

"Good," Terry sighed. "Now that that's all taken care of, can I sleep now?"

She tittered as Terry laid back down on the bed. He began to close his eyes when he suddenly felt a weight on his stomach. They opened only to see Zorah staring back at him with a wide smile and her arms wrapped around him.

He reached up and lifted her off his chest, "Please don't make me repeat myself. I'm not a touchy-feely person."

That didn't deter her as she immediately curled up next to his side once her feet hit the bed.

"You..." Terry groaned. "Fine. You win, but this is only for tonight."

Zorah secretly pumped her fist in victory while Terry closed his eyes again. She waited a couple of minutes until his breathing slowed and took that chance to peek up at the face of her new trainer.

There were many things she didn't know about him, but there was one thing she was certain of; she wouldn't stop trying to make him smile.

"Ny-scor, bunny," she whispered as she too fell asleep.

* * *

_**♪ Stop Playing ♪** _

* * *

**The Next Morning...**

* * *

As Terry's eyes opened, two things ran through his mind. The first was his surprise from not waking up in a cold sweat from a nightmare. Odd...he couldn't remember the last time that had happened.

The second was wondering what the weight curled around his head was. It took him a moment to realize that Zorah had moved from her place by his side and decided that next to his head was a better spot. It didn't help that her arms were tightly wrapped around him.

He blinked and tried to shimmy his head out of her grasp, only to be met with growing pressure on his skull.

"Zorah..." he grumbled and tried once again to free himself. This time, instead of his head being squeezed like an Oran Berry, Zorah reflexively kicked her feet out. Unfortunately, her target only ended up being Terry's neck.

"Zorah!" he cried, rousing the Scorbunny from her slumber.

"S-Scor...?" she mumbled sleepily. She looked down at Terry, coming face to face with his piercing glare.

"Let. Go. Of. My. Head."

She flinched back and smiled sheepishly, "S-Scorbun, b-bunny..."

Terry sat up, rubbing and stretching out his neck, "Sheesh, nearly tore my head off with that grip of yours..." He looked over to see Zorah staring glumly down at the bedsheets. He sighed, "Don't look so down. I'm not that mad at you. If it makes you feel any better, I didn't have a nightmare, so there's that."

Zorah's mood improved upon hearing that, a smile already starting to grow on her face. Terry glanced behind her at his clock.

10:00 AM.

His eyes widened. This was the earliest he had ever woken up. Not only that, but he felt...more awake than any other mornings before. The prospect of retreating back under the covers and ignoring the world for another day still whispered in the back of his mind like a shadow, yet it was overtaken by this unfamiliar, newfound energy he had.

Still confused, he got out of bed and began getting dressed with the nagging feeling that _something_ was going to happen today. He wasn't sure if he should be curious...or scared.

* * *

Leon and Hop sat at the table with the former assuaging the latter with his day-to-day life as Champion. The conversation came to an abrupt halt when they heard footsteps coming down the stairs, to which Hop nearly fell out of his chair when Terry came into view.

Leon beamed, "Terry! I don't think I've ever seen you up this early!"

"No kidding!" Hop exclaimed.

Terry sweatdropped as he came closer to the table, "Uh, yeah...it feels...new."

"Well, it's nice to see you up," Leon said. "By the way, you wouldn't happen to know where that Scorbunny went, do you? She disappeared somewhere after we got back home last night."

Hearing her name called, Zorah hopped onto the table in front of Terry and placed her hands on her hips with a smile.

"Oh, there ya are! I was wondering where you had run off to. We should probably get you back in your ball now-"

"Scor! Scor! Ny-bun scor!"

Leon froze with the Pokéball in his hand as he watched Zorah frantically point at Terry. The two brothers looked between the Pokémon and Terry while he looked away with his hand on his bandana.

"Terry? Did you...?" Hop muttered.

He sighed, "She, uh...didn't really give me a choice, so..."

* * *

[ _**♪ Now Playing: The Unyielding Medium Princess – Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice OST ♪** _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zrgd7fUnjmo)

* * *

Zorah hopped up and wrapped herself around Terry's arm. With a defeated sigh, he detached the affectionate rabbit off his arm and placed her back on the table.

"Terry...that's amazing!" Hop grinned, reaching over to pet Zorah, "Isn't she just the cutest thing though?"

"It...this isn't something to go crazy over, Hop." Terry flushed. "Besides, she was just gonna keep trying until I said 'yes', so I might as well let her stay with me."

Leon smiled at him, "Still, I'm glad you two were able to choose one another. This is a very important moment, Terry."

"I...I guess."

"Now, what's with all the ruckus down here?"

Catherine appeared at the bottom of the steps and gasped at the sight of Terry and the Rabbit Pokémon under Hop's hand. She smiled, "Good morning, Terry."

"...Morning."

Her eyes trailed over to the Scorbunny, "And who might this little one be?"

"That's, uh...Zorah. She kinda came to my room last night."

"Zorah?" Hop raised an eyebrow. "You already named her too?"

"Bun scor! Bunny bun scorbun!"

"It was easier than just calling her 'Scorbunny' all the time."

Hop smirked, "If you say so." He suddenly hopped out of his seat with a wide grin. "Oh, you know what we need to do now, right?"

Terry silently grimaced. He didn't like where this was headed.

"We gotta have a battle, mate! You and me!"

"Bun! Bun!" Zorah exclaimed with sparkling eyes.

Terry groaned, "Can't we just be happy with the fact I have a Pokémon now?"

"What's the point of having one if you aren't going to battle?"

"Because that's not for me. I barely know anything about-"

Hop grabbed Terry's arm and started dragging him towards the door, "Don't worry so much! It's easy!"

"Woah! Hop! W-Wait!"

Leon stood up as Zorah followed after the two boys.

"I should probably go with them. Make sure they don't get themselves into trouble again."

A quiet sniffle from Catherine stopped him in his tracks.

"...Laura would be so proud of him."

Leon smiled softly, "...Yeah, I think she would."

* * *

_**♪ Stop Playing ♪** _

* * *

"I swear to Arceus, you're going to be the death of me, Hop..." Terry deflated as Hop stood across from him on the arena with his arms proudly folded over his chest.

"Oh c'mon! You spent the whole night with that Scorbunny of yours! Battling is just the next step!"

"Ny-bun bun!"

Leon sauntered up to the field, "Oh? And what about you, Hop? I hope some of that energy went into bonding with your own partner."

Hop huffed, "Well, of course it did! If I want to become Champion, having that bond is important!"

"Too right," Leon nodded. "The bond Charizard and I share is one of the biggest reasons why I've gone so undefeated, to the point where-"

"You can understand each other perfectly..." Terry's hold on his bandana tightened ever so slightly. His mother and father had both reached that point with their Pokémon.

Leon's face softened, but he nodded, "Exactly. As long as you trust in one another and keep battling side by side long enough, then perhaps you'll even rival the likes of me!"

Terry sighed, "I've already said that's not what I-"

"You should at least give it a try, mate! You might end up liking it!" Hop grinned as he reached for a Pokéball.

Terry didn't want to take that chance. He didn't want to battle. All he wanted was to go back inside and shut out the rest of the world. That was where he felt safe. Nothing could hurt him under the sheets. So then...why?

Why was he still standing here?

He looked down at Zorah. The Scorbunny stared back up at him with sparkling eyes, waiting for his decision.

"What do you say?" Leon asked.

Terry glanced between Zorah and the brothers before sighing in defeat, "...Fine."

Hop pumped his fist, "Yes!"

"Scor ny-bun, bunny!"

"Didn't really feel like I had a choice..." He whispered to himself.

Leon smiled and thumped a fist against his chest, "Well, if everyone's on board, then let's do this!"

"I've watched every match that Lee's ever had plus read every book and magazine he's left behind!" Hop boasted. "There's no way I'll lose!"

"Really...I would never have guessed..." Terry droned, earning a small snort from Zorah. The Scorbunny hopped forward in front of Terry, bouncing back and forth on her feet as she eagerly awaited the signal to begin.

"Alright, rules are simple. The winner is the one that defeats all their opponent's Pokémon!" Leon announced. "You two ready?"

"Ready!" Hop beamed, smacking a Pokéball into his hand.

Terry simply gripped his bandana as his stomach churned with uncertainty and fear. What was he doing? Why was he still going through with this?

_Just run back to the house._

_Hide in your bed and wait for the day to end._

_You're not a Trainer. Just stop this before-_

"Begin!"

* * *

[ _** ♪ Now Playing: Battle! Hop – Pokémon Sword and Shield OST ♪ ** _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0HuqoKre3Y)

* * *

"Come on out, Wooloo!"

Hop launched the Pokéball forward, having it open to reveal his own starter.

"Beeehh!"

Hop pointed forward, "Start off with Tackle!"

Terry jolted back to reality as Wooloo tucked in its legs and sped towards Zorah with unnaturally high speed. Before Terry or Zorah could react, the spinning ball of white wool slammed into Zorah, knocking her backward onto the ground.

"Shit!" Terry cursed under his breath. "S-Sorry, Zorah..."

"Scor-ny..." She hopped to her feet and flashed him a smile, "Scor, bunny!"

"Another Tackle!"

Terry snapped his head up to see the Wooloo once again beginning to roll towards them.

"G-Get out of the way, Zorah!"

The Scorbunny hopped over the blurry figure of the Wooloo and landed just behind it.

"Try again, Wooloo!"

"Meh!"

Terry gripped his bandana tightly, "D-Dodge it again!"

Zorah sidestepped the Wooloo before taking off after it once it slowed down and without waiting for Terry's command.

"Scor!" She yelled as she slammed her body into the Wooloo, sending the Sheep Pokemon tumbling back to its Trainer.

"Wooloo! You okay?"

Wooloo shook itself out of its daze and turned back towards Zorah, "Beh beh!"

"Bun scor!"

Terry glanced down at her, "U-Um...good...job, I guess?"

She grinned back at him, but it vanished as she was hit yet again by another Tackle. Terry choked on his breath. What else was he supposed to do? He didn't even know what moves Zorah had besides Tackle. How was he supposed to do this with no experience?

Oh, this was a mistake. Why did he get himself talked into this? He should've just gone back to bed.

Even as Zorah shakily got back to her feet and the Wooloo began yet another Tackle, Terry's thoughts fizzled into ash. Everything blurred and it took all he had to take a step onto the field.

"Stop. Just...stop!"

* * *

_** ♪ Stop Playing ♪ ** _

* * *

Zorah sidestepped the rolling Wooloo while Hop and Leon both froze and looked over at Terry.

Leon took a step toward him, "...Terry?"

"I just...I-I can't do this," Terry's voice shook. "I don't know anything about battles. There's no reason for me to keep trying."

Leon moved closer to him and placed a hand on Terry's shoulder, "It's alright, Terry. First-time battles are always a little daunting."

"Doesn't help that I was forced into this," Terry mumbled as he shook off Leon's hold on him.

Leon winced. He had seen new Trainers beat themselves up over their first battles. Heck, he was just as guilty when he started his journey, but even couldn't help but feel the air around the arena get colder.

"S-Sorry, mate..." Hop said from across the arena. "I just thought that you'd be up for a battle since you had a Pokémon now."

"Beh beh..."

Terry's mouth opened, but he closed it as his grip on his bandana tightened.

"Bunny..."

He looked down at his feet. Zorah gazed back up at him with worry.

"Do you...still want to keep her?" Hop tentatively asked.

Zorah spun around in shock and hastily shook her head, "Scorbunny! Bunny scor ny-bun scor!"

Terry snapped out of his dour mood for a split second, confused and in awe that despite his pitiful performance, she still wanted to stay with him. However, the cloud over his head returned and he sighed.

"Well, there's your answer."

Leon looked between Terry and Zorah before an idea popped into his head. His smile returned, "Well, if she is still planning on staying with you, then you should probably make sure you get a Pokédex."

Terry raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

"To help you take care of your partner, of course! It's more than just a collection of data, you know."

Terry wanted to decline. He was already sick of today. He just wanted to go back to bed, but that same energy from this morning surged back into him. The sting of the battle already felt dull and insignificant, much to Terry's surprise and confusion.

It was just a Pokédex. It was just gonna be a simple pickup, right?

"You should get one too, Hop," Leon said, turning towards his brother.

Hop immediately perked up, "Oh, yeah! Definitely! I'm gonna need one if I want to take on the Gym Challenge after all!"

Leon chuckled. Hop's passion for going on the Gym Challenge was not new to the champion, given how every time he visited, Hop would always beg for an endorsement letter from him.

"Glad to see you're not putting the cart before the Rapidash, little brother."

 _For once..._ Terry thought to himself.

"But...the Gym Challenge is a serious deal," Leon suddenly said, his face losing its cheerful glee and replaced with the seriousness belonging to a champion. "The League has people around the Wild Area to help keep an eye on Challengers, but it's still a dangerous place. You never know what you might run into out there."

"I know, Lee, but I'm old enough to do it! Plus, I'll be sure to have a strong enough team to stay safe and be able to beat you!"

Leon relaxed, "Glad to hear it, but Pokédex first."

"Then there's no time to waste! You ready, Wooloo?" Hop boomed.

"Beh! Beh!"

He recalled Wooloo back to its Pokéball and raced past Leon and Terry. "I'll see ya at the Research Lab!"

As Hop sprinted down Route 1 towards Wedgehurst, Leon turned back to Terry.

"Ready to get going?"

Terry sighed as Zorah hopped at his feet, "I guess."

"Bun bun, bunny!"

Leon nodded and headed out in the same direction Hop had gone. Terry began to follow but slowed down his pace until he was even with Zorah.

"Hey, um...Zorah?"

"Ny?"

"I'm, um..." Terry grabbed his bandana, "...sorry about...what happened. I know you were excited to battle and I screwed it up for you..."

She smiled and waved her hand dismissively, "Bunny, ny-bun scorbunny."

"Oh! Before I forget..." Leon's voice cut through their conversation. He reached into the inside of his cape and pulled out a Pokéball, holding it out to Terry. "Since she's staying with you, it'd probably be a good idea for you to have this."

Terry grabbed the orb and gazed down at it. A flurry of emotions stirred within him: confusion, fear, awe, grief.

Was he really still going through with this? Was he really going to keep a Pokémon with him? The whispers in his head kept telling him this was a mistake; another heartbreak just waiting to happen.

His hand tightened around his bandana. As he continued following after Leon, he couldn't stop thinking about whether or not this was the right thing to do, if this was truly what his parents would've wanted for him.

* * *

The trek through Route 1 had run into a snag before it even began. A herd of Wooloo had blocked the main path to Wedgehurst, forcing the three to take a detour. The next couple minutes were spent with Leon trying to remember the way to the Lab, Terry reminding him which way to go, and Zorah getting more practice battling the wild Pokémon that ambushed them. Terry didn't try to order her when she did as he remembered that the only successful hit she earned during his battle with Hop was when she acted of her own accord.

He wasn't sure if that was a testament to her tenacity for battle or his lousy Trainer skills.

Eventually, the trio arrived at the Research Lab with Hop tapping his foot just outside the entrance.

* * *

[ _**♪ Now Playing: A Town Called Hometown – Osiris Music ♪** _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndhprVKeKWk)

* * *

"There you are!" he said when he saw Terry and Leon approach. "Was beginning to think you two ended up in Johto or something!"

"Haha, very funny, Hop," Leon teased.

As Terry stood by, waiting for the brothers to finish talking, he felt his leg being poked. He looked down at Zorah, "Need something?"

"Scor scor ny-bun scorbunny," she said as she pantomimed sleeping with her head on her hands.

"Uh...I'm guessing you're tired?"

"Bun."

Terry blinked, "You wanna rest in your ball?"

"Bun."

"...Alright."

He pulled the Pokeball out of his pocket. Pointing it at her, he pressed the button on the front of it, sending out a beam of red light that enveloped her. The beam retracted back into the ball with Zorah along with it.

Terry returned the ball back to his pocket as Leon and Hop began heading inside the Lab.

Books of all kinds lined the wall, reaching all the way up to the ceiling from the floor. If there was ever a picture to go with the definition of "Research Lab", this place was it.

"Yamp! Yamper yamp!"

The barks of a Yamper filled the room as the Puppy Pokémon rounded a corner and barreled towards Leon.

He laughed as the Yamper happily pawed at his leg, "Hey, Yamper! Good to see you too!"

"Leon? Is that you?" A woman's voice called out. "Let me guess: looking for info on another never-before-seen, super-powerful Pokémon?"

The three boys looked over a set of stairs to see a young woman with peach hair and a tan peacoat. Terry blinked in recognition as the woman walked over to them.

"Not exactly," Leon said, sheepishly scratching his beard. "Hop, Terry, I'd like you to meet Sonia. She's an amazing cook."

Sonia clicked her tongue, "What kind of introduction is that? At least tell them I'm the professor's assistant and that I was your rival during-" She stopped as her eyes found Terry's. "Oh, hey! You're that guy I bumped into at the store a couple of days ago!"

"...Y-Yeah," he mumbled as he held onto his bandana. "That was me."

She smiled, "Wouldn't have thought you were friends with Leon of all people."

Leon stepped forward to correct her but stopped in his tracks by Terry's glare. She glanced between the two of them but said nothing about it.

"Anyways, what brings the three of you here if you're not here asking about strong Pokémon?"

"Lee said you could help us get some Pokédexes!" Hop spoke up. "We'll need them when we take on the Gym Challenge."

"You mean when _you_ go on it," Terry corrected.

"Ah, I see. That's much simpler than scouring through dozens of books off of a vague description." She smirked at Leon.

"Hey, you always manage to find it."

She rolled her eyes, "Getting those Pokedexes ready shouldn't take too long. How about you help me with them, Leon?"

He blinked, "Oh, sure."

She nodded and retreated to the back of the lab with Leon on her heels. Sonia pulled out two inactive Rotom Phones from a nearby desk and got to work powering them up.

* * *

_**♪ Stop Playing ♪** _

* * *

Leon scratched his head, "So...do you really need my help or...?"

"Hmm?" Sonia hummed. "Oh, not really, but I did want to ask you something."

"Oh, okay."

Sonia nodded back towards the two boys, "Terry was his name, right? Why does he seem so...gloomy?"

Leon's face darkened, "I...don't think it's my place to say."

"Why not? It's normal for everyone to have bad days, but he seems really out of-"

"Sonia."

She balked at the seriousness laced within his voice. Glancing over at him, she froze as the cheery champion that she grew up with and went on the Gym Challenge with was replaced by someone much more somber.

"He's been through a lot. Give him some slack."

Her brow furrowed. Been through a lot? What could he mean by that? As she configured the Rotom Phones to have the Pokedex, her mind stayed focused on that question.

Been through a lot...

…

…

...Oh.

Just as the Pokedexes were ready, she looked over at Leon, wide-eyed, "You mean...?"

He nodded. Words were not needed for something so personal.

"Like I said, take it easy with him," Leon whispered. "And...don't let him know that I mentioned it to you, okay?"

"Don't worry."

He nodded and his normal champion persona returned as she picked up the phones and carried them back to the two boys.

"Here." She held out the phones to them.

Hop snatched one out of her hand and held it up triumphantly, "Alright!"

Sonia giggled at his enthusiasm, "It'll have everything you need: Pokémon information, navigation, and a map of the region in the event you get REALLY lost like a certain champion I know."

"You know, you're just as bad as Hop when it comes to that," Leon pouted.

"Not our fault you're pants with directions, Lee."

Sonia turned her attention to Terry, "How about you?"

He glanced up from the phone, "...What about me?"

"Well, it doesn't seem like you're all that interested in the Gym Challenge."

"Oh...well..." He reached up to his bandana, "The Scorbunny that Leon brought got attached to me so it only made sense for me to have a Pokédex to help take care of her." He shrugged. "I wasn't planning on anything else."

"Actually..." Leon spoke up. "I need to go see the professor about something and I was wondering if you wanted to tag along."

Terry's grip tightened, "What? Why?"

"Well, this is the most I've seen you out of your room. It wouldn't hurt to go a little further out of town, right?"

"I..."

"Yeah, mate!" Hop chimed in. "It's been awesome having you around more!"

No...no, he already had his fill for today. All he wanted was to just go back home...right? Why was he so indecisive about this now? What changed?

Sonia listened in intently. She had a basic idea of why Terry was so dour and wanted to see where this would go.

"I...Alright," Terry sighed, "But after this, that's it."

Leon grinned, "Works for me. In the meantime, I'm going to leave you two on your own to make your way there. It's pretty important that I go see her, so I better get going."

"See ya soon, Lee! I'll be sure to have caught another Pokémon by the time I get there!" Hop said as Leon began to leave.

"I know you will," Leon replied. "It was good seeing you, Sonia."

She waved, "See ya later, Leon."

With a nod, the door shut. Hop turned to Terry with a grin.

"I should get going too! If I want to get that endorsement letter from Lee, I better train more so I can show him I'm ready! I'll see ya at the professor's house, Terry!"

Before Terry could respond, Hop was out the door, leaving him and Sonia alone.

"Those two..." she sighed, "When it comes to battling or the Gym Challenge, their heads just go into the clouds..."

"You're telling me..."

Sonia gazed at the boy. She could tell he was forcing himself to do this. Whether it was from the peer pressure from Hop and Leon or for some other unknown reason, it was obvious to her. Leaving him alone to traverse Route 2 was a really dumb move on the brothers' part.

* * *

[ _** ♪ Now Playing: Navigate – OneShot OST ♪ ** _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JHQ100grHY)

* * *

"How about I go with you, huh?" Sonia suddenly said, catching Terry off-guard. "Wouldn't want you to have to trek all the way to Gran's house by yourself."

"N-No...it's okay. I'll be fine on my-" Terry stopped. "Wait, the professor's your grandmother?"

"That she is. Don't worry. I'm more than capable of making sure any wild Pokémon don't get the best of us." She twirled her hair around her finger. "Perks of growing up alongside everyone's favorite champion."

Terry blinked, "...Huh."

"Anyways, we better go before it gets too late. It's quite a trip from here all the way to the end of Route 2."

"Oh, r-right."

Terry started to follow after her, but stopped. "Actually, there's something I want to do first."

"Sure, go ahead."

He fished out the Pokeball from his pocket and let out its inhabitant. Zorah appeared and immediately smiled upon seeing her Trainer.

"Bunny! Ny-bun scor."

"Oh, what a cutie!"

Her eyes darted over to Sonia who, without hesitation, began fawning over her.

"Aren't you just so adorable?"

"Yamp! Yamp!"

Yamper began running circles around Zorah. The Scorbunny giggled under all the attention and embraced it fully. Terry watched the display with a wistful gaze before pulling out his new Pokedex and scanning Zorah with it:

" _Scorbunny :_

_Rabbit Pokémon_

_Type: Fire_

_Variant: Female_

_Weight: 10 lbs_

_Height: 1'0"_

_It has special pads on the backs of its feet, and one on its nose. Once it's warmed itself up by running around, these pads radiate tremendous heat._

_Known Moves : _

_Tackle, Growl, Ember"_

"Well, that takes care of that," Terry said to himself, noting the addition of the new fire-type move. He figured she picked it up on the way here.

Sonia snapped out of squealing over Zorah and faced Terry, "Ready to go?"

Terry hesitated one last time. The odd energy he felt from this morning was still ever-present. In fact, it seemed to have gotten stronger as the day dragged on. It only left Terry more and more confused.

"R-Ready as I'll ever be, I guess..." he finally said.

Sonia nodded and opened the door. Yamper rushed out ahead, eager to lead the way. Zorah stayed by Terry's side as he walked back out into the sunlight, his mind still racing.

What was still pushing him forward?


	4. A Faint Glimmer

* * *

[ _****♪** Now Playing: Lazy Afternoon – Kingdom Hearts 2 **♪**** _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljc7jwVYVQw)

* * *

The afternoon sun shined down on Terry and Sonia as they made their way through Wedgehurst to the start of Route 2. Zorah and Yamper were chasing after each other just ahead of their trainers, bobbing and weaving past one another accompanied by giggles and yips. Terry kept his eyes glued forward, not bothering to take in his surroundings while Sonia continued shooting glances at him. Neither of them had said anything to each other ever since they left the Research Lab and the silence was starting to feel awkward to her.

Just as the beginning of the route came into view, Terry sighed and looked over at her.

"Okay, what is it?"

Sonia jumped, completely blindsided out of her stupor. "W-What?"

Terry's eyebrow raised. "Look, I know I'm the textbook example of 'giving the cold shoulder', but you're not exactly being subtle about glancing at me every five seconds."

"...Sheesh, you don't have to be so rude about it," Sonia huffed.

"You're the one constantly staring at me."

Sonia sighed, "I figured you were gloomy, but I didn't think it was this bad-"

"Because of what Leon told you, right?"

Both of them stopped on the bridge that was just short of the route.

"How do you-"

"I'm not stupid," Terry said, turning to face her, "Leon may be champion, but he's not a tech wizard. Why else would you ask for his 'help' if not to ask about me?"

Sonia began to respond but stopped when Zorah and Yamper tumbled onto the bridge with a fit of laughter. Zorah smiled up at Terry and waved. Sonia could feel the hostile air around him dissipate as he gazed back down at the Rabbit Pokémon.

"Hey, why don't you get some rest?" he said, pulling out her Pokéball from his pocket, "I'll let you out when we get to the Professor's house."

Zorah tilted her head slightly, but nodded, allowing herself to be pulled back into her ball.

Terry sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Look, I'm sorry. Today has been weird for me, to say the least, and Leon telling you about me doesn't help my mood."

"He...didn't really tell me anything," Sonia said, "Just that you had been through a lot and I put some of the pieces together." Her face softened. "I figured you wouldn't like me asking you about it..."

"And you'd be right," Terry replied, his hand reaching up to his bandana. "So can we just drop this conversation? Please?"

Sonia nodded, "Sure. Besides, it wouldn't be fun for either of us if we were late getting to Gran's house because we were so busy trying to pry into each other's business or catch Pokémon."

"I'm not going to catch anything."

Sonia blinked, "Why not?"

"Because I don't want to. Do I really need another reason than that?" Terry said with his hand still clutching the bandana.

She frowned, "I...guess not. Usually most people want to have more..."

"Well, I'm not most people."

He began to turn away from her, already feeling his mind and body aching for anywhere but here, only to be stopped in his tracks when a bright blue face suddenly filled his vision.

"WOAH!" Terry cried out as he tumbled backward into Sonia.

Sonia held him steady but kept her eyes glued to the Pokémon in front of them. A grey shell sat on the back of its azure skin with dark blue spots dotted along its body.

"Oh, I didn't expect to see a Lapras all the way up here!"

Terry nudged out of her grasp and mumbled to himself, "...What is it about every Pokémon I meet trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Maybe you just need to pay more attention," Sonia replied as she reached up to pet the Pokémon that had interrupted them, earning a coo from it.

He frowned and was about to snap back at her, but stopped when he noticed the Lapras's dark brown eyes staring back at him, almost as if it was searching for something inside of him. It didn't help that a dull pressure kept buzzing inside of its head, like a Caterpie trying to burrow its way into the ground. He finally pulled himself away from its gaze after a few seconds and cleared his throat, garnering Sonia's attention.

* * *

_****♪** Stop Playing **♪**** _

* * *

"We should go. Leon and the Professor are waiting for us."

"Oh! Right!" Sonia pet the Lapras one last time, but its eyes stayed focused on him. Terry wasn't sure whether to feel on edge or not and the constant buzzing in his skull wasn't helping matters, despite it starting to lessen with each step they took away from it.

Sonia smiled, "Well, that was a nice surprise. I didn't know there was still a Lapras living at the lake."

Terry raised an eyebrow, "I thought you lived next to the lake with the Professor?"

"Well, yeah. There used to be a couple more Lapras there when I was younger but less and less of them started to show up as time went by, so that's why I was surprised."

"Hmm…" Terry glanced over his shoulder. "Hey, did you feel like...a buzzing in your head when you were petting it?"

Sonia tilted her head. "A buzzing? I don't think so. Did you?"

"Kind of."

Her face turned thoughtful while she twirled a finger around her hair, "Hmm...I think I might know what you're talking about. Give me a second."

Sonia pulled her own Rotom Phone out of her pocket and proceeded to tap it several times before stopping.

"Here we go. Lapras, the Transport Pokémon. A smart and kindhearted Pokémon, they often enjoy ferrying people on its back. They're even able to understand human speech and there have even been reports of-"

Sonia was quickly cut off by a blur sailing past her and her phone now absent from her hand.

"...Huh?"

Terry watched as the blur landed further away from them, letting him get a better look at the thief. A Nickit glanced back at them with the phone in its mouth before taking off further down the route.

"Hey! Get back here! That's not yours!" Sonia called out and raced off after it.

"Ugh, great. Why couldn't this just have been a normal day?" Terry groaned before chasing after her.

Terry eventually caught up with Sonia after several minutes of trying to find her. She had cornered the Nickit on a side path that led to a dead-end, but Terry stopped at the sight of her holding an unconscious Yamper in her arms.

Sonia smiled sheepishly at him, "...Guess I bit off more than I could chew."

"You alright?"

"I'm fine. Yamper, not so much. Serves me right for cornering the bugger."

A growl from the Nickit broke through their conversation. Without thinking, Terry stepped in front of Sonia, keeping between the wild Pokémon and the unconscious one.

"Terry, you gotta get my phone back! Gran'll kill me if she found out I lost it!"

Panic laced through Terry's body. Another battle? Already? The sting of the first battle was still fresh. If he couldn't take on another Trainer, how could he deal with a simple wild Pokémon?

"Terry, breathe."

He glanced back at Sonia with wide eyes. A soft smile graced her lips.

"You're overthinking this. Just take a deep breath, okay?"

"O-Okay…"

Terry did as she said. Almost instantly, his chaotic thoughts quieted down, replaced by another voice. One he hadn't heard in so long.

" _No matter what situation you're in, always remember to breathe. Even in battle, if I know I'm outmatched, I simply take a moment to breathe. It's how I was able to become the champion after all."_

* * *

[ _****♪** Now Playing: Forum Fight – Serious Sam 4 OST **♪**** _ ](https://youtu.be/SO-3-6orvkI)

* * *

His mother's voice echoed within his mind as his body began to relax. Keeping his eyes on the Nickit in front of him, he slowly reached into his pocket and tossed out the Pokeball. Zorah stood in front of him, surprised to be out of her ball so soon, but immediately went on guard at the sight of the Nickit in front of her.

"Okay...breathe…" Terry whispered to himself, "This isn't a Trainer battle...Breathe…"

The Nickit surged forward, quickly closing the distance between it and Zorah and knocking her backward.

"Zorah! Hit back with a Tackle!" Terry called out.

Zorah shook out of her daze and rushed the Nickit down. Her foot collided with nothing but air as the Nickit sidestepped the attack and launched another Quick Attack at her. Terry's breath quickened as his hand found his bandana. The battle had just started and this wasn't going well.

"Breathe..." he whispered, forcing himself to stay calm. There had to be an opening somewhere.

The Nickit readied itself again, a glowing white aura surrounding its body as it dug its paws into the dirt.

"Use Growl before it attacks, quick!"

Zorah unleashed it, causing the Nickit to hesitate for a moment but still deciding to barrel forward into her. She fell back with a cry but recovered much faster than normal.

As the Nickit hopped back to its spot, it smirked. These two didn't seem to know what they were doing. Easy. Its body glowed and it rushed Zorah down once more, eager to finish this.

All of a sudden, just before contact, Zorah sidestepped the attacking Nickit just before its attack connected. Even Terry was surprised by her initiative, but it gave them the opening they needed.

"Tackle it!"

Zorah nodded with a smile and smashed her body into the Nickit, sending it sprawling into the dirt.

"Scor ny-bun bunny, scor?" Zorah snarked towards the Nickit.

It scowled back at her as it rose to its feet and a white aura covered its body again. Zorah braced herself as the Nickit vanished. She scanned the area around, keeping her eyes open for wherever the Nickit would attack from.

Her ears twitched at the sound of footsteps behind her and jumped up into the air with a flip, dodging the Nickit's claws as they swiped past her. She wasted no time sending another Tackle into the Nickit.

Terry's eyes widened, "Oh. That...works, I guess."

She flashed him a grin and looked back to see the Nickit shaking as it rose to its feet. It wasted no time rushing her down, but without a white aura surrounding it.

"We almost got it. Zorah, finish it with Ember!"

"Bun!"

Zorah dug into the dirt and channeled the natural fire she felt within her thanks to her typing. In quick breath, she spat out a flame straight at the oncoming Nickit. Thanks to the damage it had already taken, the Nickit could only watch helplessly as the attack crashed straight into it, launching it away from Zorah until it finally crashed into the ground where it stayed put.

* * *

_****♪** Stop Playing **♪**** _

* * *

Terry breathed out a sigh of relief, "Holy crap, we actually won…"

"Bun! Bunny scorbun scor!" Zorah cheered as she quickly latched onto Terry's leg.

He stiffened from the contact and kneeled down to pry her off.

"Uh, yeah. Good...job out there…"

Sonia stepped past them and the unconscious Nickit to find her phone laying on the ground just before a bush.

"Phew…it's not broken." Sonia smiled back at Terry. "Thanks for stepping in. You put up a pretty good fight."

Terry scratched his head, "It was more Zorah than me."

"Don't sell yourself short. You did just as much as she did."

Terry glanced down at Zorah who was vigorously nodding her head.

"...I guess." He took out Zorah's Pokeball from his pocket and pointed it at her. "Get some rest."

Zorah smiled and let herself be pulled back into the ball.

"You aren't thinking of catching that Nickit?" Sonia asked.

"I already told you that I'm not doing that."

Sonia frowned for a moment but replaced it with a soft smile, "I understand. Just wanted to be sure."

"...Plus it's not like I could since I don't have any spare Pokeballs on me."

She giggled, "Ah, that's Leon for you."

The two of them made their way back onto the main path and continued their walk to the Professor's house. It was silent between the two of them before Terry spoke again.

"...Hey, Sonia?"

"Yeah?"

"...T-Thanks...for the advice."

Sonia blinked in surprise before grinning.

"It was no problem, Terry."

* * *

The sun had already set past the horizon with the lake reflecting the pink sky when Terry and Sonia finally arrived at the Professor's House. Hop was waiting out front next to the battle arena in the front yard when he spotted the two.

"Hey! You two made it!" Hop said with a wave. "Thought you guys got lost for a moment."

"If anyone got lost, it'd be that champion brother of yours," Sonia retorted. "Is he here or do we have to go back and look for him?"

Hop pointed over his shoulder, "He's inside talking with the Professor. Something about her research with Dynamaxing and all that."

"Good. We should probably get inside before it gets dark."

Hop hung back for Terry while Sonia moved past him. He nudged Terry's shoulder as the boy got closer.

"So?" Hop asked excitedly, "How was your first trip outside of town?"

"I didn't catch any Pokémon if that's what you're really wondering, Hop."

Hop flinched at Terry's bluntness and frowned, "Oh...not even one?"

"No."

Sonia glanced over his shoulder, "Well, he DID fight a Nickit that stole my phone, so it wasn't an entirely peaceful trip here."

Hop's somber mood vanished in an instant upon hearing those words, his eyes now sparkling with excitement.

"You won a battle?! Like a real one?!"

Terry sighed, "...Yeah, but I just got lucky."

"A win is still a win, Terry! You should be proud of that!"

Terry merely grunted, wondering how Hop could still have this much energy at the end of the day. If he hadn't immediately told Hop that he hadn't caught another Pokémon, Terry was sure Hop would've asked for another battle, despite what happened earlier today.

Thankfully, he didn't have to think too much about it when Sonia opened the door and Leon and the Professor's voice rang out.

"So, you haven't entirely figured out the Dynamax phenomenon yet?"

"Oh goodness, no, Leon. The whole thing is still full of questions. I was hoping my granddaughter would take up my research, but-"

"Hey, Gran! I'm home and I brought some guests!" Sonia called out.

Hop grinned as he waltzed through the door, "Hey, Lee! Hey, Professor! Hope we're not late for anything!"

"You're fine, Hop dear. Leon and I were in the middle of discussing some of my research. Please, come in," Professor Magnolia said.

Hop moved to the table, leaving Terry standing awkwardly in front of the door. Magnolia wavered for a second, shocked to see those familiar emerald eyes again. She stood up from the table and smiled softly at him.

"Ah, Terry...I wasn't expecting to see you here."

Terry's eyes widened, "You...know me?"

"Your mother spoke much about you when you two flew in from Unova." Her eyes glistened slightly. "You...have her eyes, too."

At the mention of his mother, Terry's now trembling hand clenched his bandana. Sonia glanced between the two of them, shocked at the connection between them.

Magnolia's smile fell, "I'm sorry. I did not mean to bring up such painful memories. Please, make yourself at home." She turned to her granddaughter, "Sonia, could you make us some tea, please?"

"Oh, sure."

Terry cautiously sat down at the table next to Hop, his hand not moving from his neck. Magnolia cleared her throat, "Moving away from that, Leon tells me Wooloo's made a new friend, Hop."

"Oh, y-yeah!" Hop stuttered, still put off by the recent revelation, "I knew Lee was going to bring a present for us, but it was still a nice surprise!"

"Ah, yes. Still thinking about going on the Gym Challenge, are you?"

Hop grinned, "Of course. After getting the Pokedex, I was hoping you might actually do me a favor and convince him to endorse us for the Gym Challenge."

"Endorse _you_ ," Terry quietly corrected.

As Sonia set the tea on the table, Magnolia's brow furrowed and gave Leon a sideways glance, "Odd. I remembered being told there were _two_ you wanted to endorse, Leon. Not one."

"...What?"

Leon's body stiffened as he slowly locked eyes with Terry. The disbelief and silent fury behind his emerald eyes pierced into Leon's and everyone felt the air around the table become colder. The two of them stared at each other until Terry stood up from the table.

"So that's why you wanted me to come all the way out here?!" Terry barked, "Just so you could force me to go on the Gym Challenge?"

Leon held his hands up, "Terry, wait-"

"I've already told you I don't want to do that! You've already seen today how terrible I am at battling and now you want to throw me in front of the entire region?!"

"That's not-"

"Arceus, Leon, is this because of my mom? Is this 'cause she was champion and you think I'm just as strong as her? That I can do what she did? Well, newsflash! I'm not and I can't!"

Terry's entire body trembled as he glared at Leon. Leon stared down at the table, Hop looked away from him, Magnolia stared up at Terry with sympathetic eyes, and Sonia's eyes darted between everyone. With a start, Terry finally looked away.

"I-I'm sorry…" he said.

Magnolia stood up from the table and went to his side.

"There's a guest room upstairs on the left. Go get some rest. You've had a long day."

Terry nodded and, without another word, trudged up the stairs, leaving the rest of them in a tense silence.

Magnolia sighed once she heard the guest room door close and frowned back at Leon.

"You should have told him what you were trying to do, Leon."

"...I know," Leon said glumly, "But if I did, he would've declined immediately, especially after he forfeited his first battle against Hop." He rubbed his eyes. "I just don't want him to be trapped in his room every day for the rest of his life."

"...You know what he's been through, even if it has been a year."

"Um…what's going on?" Sonia interrupted, "I knew something was really bothering him, but I didn't think he would-"

Magnolia pulled the chair Terry had sat in back towards the table and motioned for Sonia to sit. Once she had, Magnolia took a deep breath.

* * *

[ _****♪** Now Playing: His Theme – Laura Platt **♪**** _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPPH6jwHKCo)

* * *

"Laura was one of the Trainers I had mentored, from giving her her starter to endorsing her for the Gym Challenge." Magnolia smiled wistfully. "She had such tenacity for battle and love for Pokémon. If she wasn't so passionate about battling, I would've expected her to become a Professor like me," she said with a chuckle. "Laura didn't quite beat the champion at the time, but that didn't stop her. She ended up leaving Galar for Unova to test herself there, which is where she met her husband, Garrett, and where Terry was born."

Sonia listened intently while casting glances over at Leon. The champion's eyes were still locked on the table, but even he seemed to deflate at the mention of Terry's mother. Hop did, too.

"She eventually became champion of Unova and stayed that way for the next two years, but…" Magnolia's smile fell. "Garrett fell ill."

"Oh no…" Sonia breathed out.

Magnolia nodded sadly, "His death caused her to quit battling entirely, forfeiting the title, and she came back home. At that time, I only knew about Terry through what Laura told me, but from what I could tell, it hurt the boy immensely...and then…"

Magnolia stopped to compose herself, the wound just as fresh for her.

"Then, she became sick too. The same illness that took Garrett away."

Sonia gasped softly as small tears started to fall down her face.

"From what Catherine told me, Terry was by her side every day, but there was nothing anyone could do to help her. Not even with help from our Pokémon." Magnolia took off her glasses to rub at her eyes.

"T-That's…" Sonia trailed off.

"Terry loved the both of them so much. I can't imagine the pain that boy goes through every day, especially seeing as he still holds onto Laura's bandana even now," Magnolia said as she put her glasses back on and looked over at Leon. "I understand your intentions, Leon. Believe me, I do, but the boy is still grieving, even after so much time has passed. If he doesn't want to do this, you should respect his wishes."

Leon was silent before he eventually nodded.

Sonia sniffled and she wiped away the tears that fell. She figured something had happened to make him so cold, but she never thought it was anything like this. It was horrible. She wanted to run upstairs and hug him and tell him everything was going to be alright, but the rational side of her knew that would only make things worse.

The rest of the table was silent, though none of them heard the sound of the guest room door softly closing again.

* * *

** _**♪** Stop Playing **♪**_ **

**Later that Night...**

* * *

Terry stared up at the ceiling. There was nothing else for him to do. Sleep was impossible for him right now and any thoughts of crying into his pillow were dashed by the presence of Hop on the other bed. All that was left was to stare up at the ceiling as his thoughts went wild inside his head.

He had listened in after going upstairs. He heard Magnolia tell Sonia about him and his parents. It certainly didn't make the pain any better, especially after finding out what Leon had planned. He was right about one thing: he would've declined immediately.

What right did he have to go on the Gym Challenge? What did Leon see in him that made him think endorsing him was a good idea? Maybe if the region just needed a good laugh, but hardly because of his skills as a Trainer.

He rubbed his arm as he looked over onto the bedside table next to him where his bandana and Zorah's ball lay side-by-side. What would Mom and Dad think of all this? What would they want him to do?

...Ugh, he needed some air.

With a huff, he quietly rolled out of bed and grabbed his bandana. He kept shooting glances at Hop, but was able to slip out of the room, sneak through the foyer past Leon, who was sleeping on the couch, and out the door without too much noise.

The chilly wind of the night blew over Terry as he looked out into the trees that paralleled the house. He could see a few Pokémon still roaming the area, but most of them stayed out of sight.

Terry wandered over to the bench that overlooked the river and sat down. He wasn't looking at the lake though. He didn't even realize he was staring at the ground. It was his thoughts that consumed him, filled with doubts, fears, and questions that he knew there wouldn't be any answer for.

He rubbed his arm again and let out a shaky breath as his eyes began to burn. Why did any of this have to happen to him?

Terry wasn't sure how long he sat there for until a buzzing began pressing in on his head again. Faint at first, but as it became stronger, it was enough to knock him out of his reverie and force him to look around. The splashing of water nearby stole his attention and he nearly cried out in surprise when a blue-faced Pokémon suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Arceus...what is with every Pokémon I come across trying to give me a damn heart attack?" Terry wheezed as he stared up at the Lapras.

It only tilted its head while the buzzing in his head momentarily became stronger. Terry rubbed his head with a groan and looked up at it.

"Are you trying to give me a headache too?" Terry groused, only for the buzzing to recede but still remain present. The two of them stared at each other, emerald eyes against brown, before Terry blinked.

"Wait, aren't you…?"

He pulled his phone out of his pocket, opened the Pokedex, and scanned the Pokémon in front of him.

" _Lapras:_

_Transport Pokémon_

_Type: Water_

_Variant: Female_

_Weight: 480 lbs._

_Height: 8'0"_

_A smart and kindhearted Pokémon, they often enjoy ferrying people on its back. They're even able to understand human speech and there have even been reports of some Lapras showing signs of telepathy in order to communicate with humans."_

Terry's brow furrowed and he looked up from the Pokedex, "Wait, telepathy? Is that what that buzzing is?"

She nodded.

"Are you...trying to talk to me?"

She nodded again.

Terry relaxed. At least she wasn't actively trying to attack him…

"Is there...some reason why you want to talk to me?"

_There is, actually._

Terry flinched, making his phone fall out of his hands, at the sound of a soft voice echoing throughout his mind. He whirled around trying to find where that voice came from as the phone floated back into his pocket.

_Do not panic. It is only me speaking to you._

Terry turned back towards the Lapras, who now smiled down at him.

"Woah…"

She giggled. _Well, it seems you are able to hear me now that you've relaxed._

"Clearly." Terry sat back down on the bench with a hand over his chest, trying to calm himself down after the scare. So much for being alone.

 _Why are you out here by yourself?_ Lapras asked, _Most humans are usually sleeping at this time._

"Obviously, I couldn't."

_Is something bothering you?_

"Why do you care?"

_I heard a little bit of your conversation with the other human you were with earlier today. It seemed like something was bothering you then as well._

"Didn't your parents tell you it's rude to eavesdrop?" Terry said.

Lapras fell silent and looked away from him, causing Terry's brow to furrow.

_They used to._

A shiver racked Terry's body and his hand shot up to his bandana. He stood up to move closer to her. "I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said-"

 _It is alright._ Lapras looked back at him with a smile. _You did not know._

Terry's gaze fell to the ground. "That doesn't make me feel better..."

Lapras's eyes darted between his face and his bandana. Her eyes softened.

_...You've lost someone too, haven't you?_

Terry's head shot up, petrified of being found out so easily before his whole body deflated.

"It's that obvious, huh…"

_Is that what's bothering you?_

"Kinda…" Terry's body wavered before he sunk back onto the bench and let his head droop. "I'm just...confused. Today has been crappy for me and I...I just don't know what to do."

Lapras tilted her head.

_Like what?_

Terry sighed, "...You wouldn't understand. Besides, I wanted to be alone tonight."

The area around him fell silent, save for the sound of waves crashing against the lake wall. For a moment, Terry thought the Lapras had gone, but looking up only revealed that she hadn't moved an inch and was still watching him.

"...I wasn't joking about wanting to be alone."

 _I know, but that doesn't mean you should be,_ she said, _Plus, you never know if I'll understand what's bothering you or not unless you say something._

Indecision festered inside Terry's stomach. Today had just been one surprise after the other, for better or worse, and yet they still kept coming, even after the day was over. He sat there on the bench, stewing in his own decisiveness before Lapras spoke again.

_I am not trying to pressure you. If you do not want to talk, I will be happy with simply providing you company._

He didn't want to talk. Arceus, he didn't want to talk at all. Yet, his thoughts continued to clash with each other. With every whisper telling him to stay silent and stew in his own doubt, another took its place, pleading for him to do something. Anything.

His gaze hovered over to the house and then back to Lapras, occasionally shooting glances towards the lake.

"Can...can we…?"

She smiled softly and maneuvered herself to give Terry access to her back shell. Hesitantly, Terry set one foot on her back before pushing himself onto the shell. Lapras swam away from the house, gliding over the water until it was only the two of them out on the lake. The wind lightly blew over them with Terry's hair waving along with it.

_Is this better?_

Terry nodded, "Y-Yeah…"

Silence fell over them again, only for it to be broken by Terry taking a deep breath.

* * *

[ _****♪** Now Playing: Wandering Heart – Noriyuki Iwadare **♪**** _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Hs1P2eSv0o)

* * *

"...If you were given the chance to go somewhere after staying in one place for so long, what would you do?"

 _Hmm...I think it depends,_ Lapras replied. _What would I be doing?_

"You'd be going across the region, mostly battling in front of other people."

_...I have never been much for battling. My lack of experience for it would certainly put me at a disadvantage, but…_

Terry glanced over at her. "But…?"

_But...I wouldn't want to pass up the opportunity to see more. I've seen every inch of this lake and, after a while, it gets monotonous to constantly be stuck in one place._

"But what if something bad happened?" Terry said, clenching his bandana. "What if you had all these expectations placed on you and you just didn't know if you could live up to them, let alone want to? Would you still do it, even if it scared the hell out of you?"

Lapras looked back at him and smiled comfortingly, _My mother told me it's natural to be scared when it comes to change, but it's whether a person or Pokémon embraces it or not that shows who they really are. So, yes, I would still go._

Terry cast his gaze down into the water, staring into the muddled form of his reflection in the water.

"I'm not a Trainer though...how could I possibly go through something like the Gym Challenge? I'm not my mom..."

Lapras watched Terry's face become despondent. The mere mention of his mom had made his mood even worse.

_If I may ask, was your mother a Trainer?_

Terry squeezed his bandana briefly as his eyes started to burn.

"...Yeah."

_Would she want you to stay stuck in one place?_

"No, but I…" Tears began to roll down his face. "...I don't know. I just don't know."

Lapras let him cry, already feeling her own heart ache from the sadness she could feel from him, like a dark cloud that constantly hovered over him with no way to get rid of it.

_I'm sorry. I did not mean to upset you so much._

"No…" Terry said, wiping away the tears. "It's not your fault."

Lapras nodded and slowly began to swim back to the shore, all the while constantly glancing back at him.

 _I'm sorry. I wish I could offer more than just words,_ Lapras said as Terry's feet landed on solid ground.

"It's okay." His tears had already dried as he turned to her. "Th-Thank you, though...for...listening."

She smiled, _You're welcome, Trainer._

"Terry," he corrected. "It's just Terry."

_Then...it was a pleasure to meet you...Terry._

He nodded and watched her swim back out into the lake, leaving him alone once again. Her words repeated in his head, but it still left his mind shrouded in doubt. Is staying in his room all day really what Mom would've wanted for him? It was the only place he felt safe though. The only place where he didn't have to fear losing anything else.

* * *

_****♪** Stop Playing **♪**** _

* * *

A yawn forced Terry out of his own head. Now finally feeling physically and emotionally drained, he began walking back to the house, but not before taking one last look out at the lake.

Hopefully, tomorrow would be better.

* * *

**The Next Morning…**

* * *

Hop's blaring alarm jarred Terry from his sleep. With a groan, he wrapped his pillow around his ears to muffle the noise until Hop finally turned it off.

"Mornin' Terry. Sorry 'bout the alarm."

"Mmm…" Terry unwrapped the pillow from his head. "Forgot that you like waking up early."

Hop sheepishly scratched his head, "Heh heh, yeah. Sorry 'bout that."

Terry stayed buried under his blanket as Hop got dressed. His conversation with the Lapras last night played over and over again in his head like a broken record. It was so easy to ignore what she said to him, but at the same time, a part of him understood. The dissonance enveloped him so much that it took Hop tapping his shoulder to jerk him back to reality.

"I'm gonna head down and get breakfast. Since you'll probably want to sleep a little longer, is it alright if I take Zorah down with me?"

"Oh, um...sure."

Hop flashed him a thumbs-up and grabbed Zorah's ball from the nightstand. He opened the door but stopped just before walking out.

"Hey, um...I'm sorry about what Lee did, Terry. One of us should've told you."

Terry only grunted and Hop left the room with a small sigh, shutting the door behind him.

Terry stared up at the ceiling. It felt like years had passed since he'd been able to be alone without anything to ruin it. It was comforting, but it hardly lasted as he reminded himself that this wasn't his home. He'd be forced to leave sooner or later. Plus, last night still continued to repeat amongst his thoughts. Knowing that shutting out the world wasn't likely to happen today, he sat up with a groan and forced himself out of bed.

* * *

The world finally came back into view for Zorah. She rubbed away the tiredness that still lingered in her eyes before looking up at her Trainer.

At least, that's who she expected to see.

Hop smiled down at her, "Hey, Zorah! Sorry if you were expecting Terry but he wanted to stay in bed and I figured you'd want something to eat for breakfast."

Her stomach growled in response to which she quickly nodded.

"Oh, I heard that from here." Sonia glanced over her shoulder. "Sit tight. I'm almost done with Leon's so I'll get to you next."

"I should probably let Grookey out too," Hop said, reaching into his pocket and letting him out.

Grookey yawned and waved to Zorah, receiving a much more excitable wave from her.

" _Hey Grookey! How's everything going with what's-his-name?"_

Grookey rolled his eyes, _"His name's Hop...and it's been pretty good."_ He crossed his arms. _"Though to be honest, I feel like I should be asking you that, Scorbunny."_

" _It's Zorah now,"_ she said, planting her paws on her hips. _"Terry gave it to me the night we got out of that forest."_

" _Did he now? Last I remember he said he wasn't interested in choosing you."_

Zorah's ears dropped forward and she smiled sheepishly, _"I may have been a bit...persistent."_

" _I'm not surprised,"_ Grookey said with a smirk.

Hop came over with two bowls filled with food. "Here you go, you two. Enjoy!"

Zorah dug into her bowl while Grookey only watched her with a look of concern.

" _...Are you sure about staying with him?"_

" _Of course! He doesn't seem that bad."_

Grookey sweatdropped, _"He looked like he saw a ghost when we first met him…"_

" _It'll be alright. Don't worry so much,"_ she said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

" _I'm your friend. I'm kinda supposed to."_

Footsteps coming down the stairs broke into their conversation where Terry appeared at the bottom of the steps.

" _Terry!"_ Zorah immediately hopped to her feet and shot over to him, quickly wrapping her arms around his leg. Terry flinched, his eyes turning wistful for a split second before he reached down and pried her off.

"Yeah…mornin' to you too."

"I thought you were gonna sleep a little longer, Terry," Hop said.

"The earlier I wake up, the earlier we can head back home."

"O-Oh, right…"

Terry looked towards the table and locked eyes with Leon. Already, the room started to become tense before Leon sighed.

"I'm sorry about what happened last night, Terry. I should've thought about what you wanted instead of trying to force it on you."

Terry looked away guiltily, "...I'm sorry too...for yelling at you."

Leon flashed a small smile and the tension around the table vanished. Grookey watched Terry suspiciously as he sat down at the table and Zorah returned to her bowl.

" _See? Nothing to be worried about,"_ Zorah smiled as she continued eating.

" _Sure...nothing at all…"_

"Anyway, I wanted to ask this last night, but I didn't get the chance," Hop spoke up. "Are you still against endorsing me for the Gym Challenge, Lee?"

"I'm also interested to know why, Leon dear." Professor Magnolia appeared at the bottom of the stairs, offering a quick smile towards Terry. "Wasn't it your dream for everyone in the region to become strong Trainers?"

Leon scratched his beard, "Well, yeah. That's why I...gave them both Pokémon."

Terry paused in his eating but kept his eyes glued to his bowl.

"Well, what if-" Hop stopped after a quick glance towards Terry. "Ah...n-nevermind. That wouldn't work."

Terry zoned out of the conversation. All he could hear were Lapras's words from last night.

_Would she want you to stay stuck in one place?_

...No, she wouldn't. Neither would Dad. Both of them always took risks. Maybe...maybe just this once? The fear still gnawed away at him, but it was like something within him wanted something to change. With one quick glance at Zorah, he drew a shaky breath.

"O-one battle."

* * *

[ _****♪** Now Playing: Ori, Lost in the Storm - Gareth Coker **♪**** _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-Fhx2IEztw)

* * *

The table fell silent. Terry looked up to see everyone's shocked stares as if Arceus itself had appeared right in front of them.

"You...what?" Hop muttered.

"One battle," Terry repeated, his body trembling. "That should be enough to c-convince you one way or another, right Leon?"

Leon blinked, "Y-Yeah, it would."

"Are you sure, dear?" Magnolia asked. "No one is forcing you to do this."

Terry grabbed his bandana. "I know…" he said before standing up, "...so let's just do it now before I change my mind."

Hop and Leon shared a look before Hop stood up with a wide grin. "You're on, mate!"

Terry had little time to respond before Hop sprinted towards the door with Grookey just barely catching hold of his arm. Terry stopped over by Zorah and motioned for her to follow. Echoing Hop's own grin, she raced out the door ahead of him.

"I'm rather interested in this change of heart," Magnolia said to Leon. "You wouldn't mind if I come and watch, do you?"

"I'm watching too and I'm not asking!" Sonia chimed in as she was already putting on her coat and racing out the door.

Leon chuckled and motioned to the Professor. "The more the merrier."

* * *

_****♪** Stop Playing **♪**** _

* * *

Hop was already waiting on his side of the arena when Terry caught up to him.

"I gotta say, Terry. I didn't think you were up for another battle after yesterday."

"Please don't remind me."

Hop rubbed his neck. "S-Sorry. Just slipped out."

Terry shook his head as he took his place opposite of Hop with Zorah bouncing around him in excitement. His hand remained locked around his bandana as he forced himself to focus on the advice Sonia had told him yesterday.

"Breathe...just breathe…"

Leon, Professor Magnolia, and Sonia took their places off to the side. Leon stepped forward towards Terry.

"Are you really sure about doing this? None of us will hold anything against you if you don't want to."

After a moment of hesitation, Terry nodded.

Leon wavered, not wanting to upset him anymore than last night, but relented and moved to the middle of the arena.

"Alright, you two. Same rules as before; the winner is the one that defeats all their opponent's Pokémon." Leon flashed a champion smile at both of them. "Show me something good in this battle!"

Hop slapped his hand against his readied Pokeball. "Alright! Time for my legend to begin!"

Terry's grip tightened. "Breathe...in and out…"

Magnolia's eyes stayed glued to the nervous boy on the arena and Sonia was nervously twirling her hair around her finger.

"Begin!"

* * *

[ _****♪** Now Playing: Battle! Hop – Pokémon Sword and Shield OST **♪**** _ ](https://youtu.be/g0HuqoKre3Y)

* * *

Hop reared his arm back, the motion obviously practiced many times, and he cried out, "Wooloo, you're up!"

The ball flew out in front of him, releasing the Sheep Pokémon with a bright flash of light.

"Beh beh!"

Terry looked down at his feet. "Zorah?"

"Scor!" she replied and began to bounce on the balls of her feet, flames already starting to scorch the asphalt beneath her.

"Tackle!" Hop called out.

Wooloo tucked in his legs and rolled towards Zorah like a bowling ball.

"Get out the way!"

Zorah sidestepped and let loose her own Tackle as Wooloo passed by her, just like she had done back in Postwick.

"F-Follow up with another Tackle!" Terry ordered.

Hop shot his hand forward, "Growl, quickly!"

Wooloo spun around towards Zorah and let out a cry, causing Zorah to hesitate slightly but still continue her rushdown, sending her foot crashing into his face.

Hop gasped sharply, "W-Wooloo! Use Tackle to get some distance!"

Wooloo curled into a ball once again, forcing Zorah to dodge again by jumping over the speeding ball of wool. Wooloo slowed once he neared Hop, but the damage taken from Zorah's counterattack had almost brought him to his knees. Wooloo panted heavily, not ready to give up just yet.

Terry drew another deep breath during the pause. "Okay...okay...we're okay...we're doing okay…"

"Tackle as hard as you can!"

Hop's voice cut through Terry's respite and he cursed himself for losing focus. Wooloo had already begun his roll towards Zorah, but his injuries made the attack slower than before. Terry clenched his bandana and weakly through his hand forward.

"F-Finish it with Ember, Zorah!"

Zorah grinned and began to breathe in before swiftly spitting out a flame towards the approaching Wooloo. The flame hit dead-on, causing Wooloo to tumble out of his ball and slow to an unconscious stop in front of Zorah.

Terry let out the breath he was holding as surprise and confusion shot through his body. He...actually knocked out Hop's Wooloo?

Leon's eyes widened as Hop returned Wooloo to his ball and his lips twitched up into a smile.

"Well, this is certainly turning out interesting," Magnolia whispered next to him. "It seems Terry isn't as inexperienced as he thinks he is."

Hop returned Wooloo's ball to his pocket and smiled at Terry. "Well, you've definitely gotten a lot stronger! But I'm not gonna give up that easy, mate!" Hop twirled another Pokeball in his palm and hurled it out, releasing Grookey onto the field. He took a moment to pull a stick out of his leaf-shaped hair and strike the ground in front of him with a smirk.

Terry's unease vanished as he raised an eyebrow. "Uh...you know I have type advantage now, right?"

"That'll just make victory taste even better!"

"S-Sure…"

Terry eyed Grookey on the field. Fire-Type did beat Grass-Type. This should be easy.

"Zorah, Ember!"

Zorah breathed in and spat out a flame that shot straight towards Grookey.

Hop grinned. "Grookey, hit it back to her!"

"What...?" Terry could only say before Grookey swung his stick like a bat, reflecting the flame right back to Zorah. Not even she expected the counter and ended up taking the full brunt of the flame. Luckily, her typing mitigated any serious damage. Even Leon grinned at the surprising tactic.

"Like I said, beating you when at a disadvantage will just make victory taste even better!" Hop boasted as Grookey smacked his stick against the ground to put out the lingering fire on it.

* * *

_****♪** Stop Playing **♪**** _

* * *

Terry stood frozen in place as the fear and uncertainty he tried to keep under control began to rage inside his head. He should've known better than to let his guard down against the person who had studied every one of Leon's matches.

Who was he kidding? He had no chance at this. This was a mistake. He should probably save himself the trouble and give up like last-

_It's not the end, Terry._

He flinched as a voice cut through the rest of the whispers.

_You've made it this far, haven't you? Don't give up on yourself now._

Who was that? That voice sounded...familiar...

_Breathe, Terry. Stay focused. I know you can win._

"...Mom…?" Terry whispered.

_You can do this, Terry. You're stronger than you know._

Like the flip of a switch, the doubt vanished and something else inside started to ignite, like a match finally finding the spark it needed. Without even realizing it himself, his hand started to loosen its death grip around his bandana and he began to stand taller. Everything around him blurred and all he could see was the arena in front of him where Zorah was shaking away her daze and returning to bouncing on her feet, a look of determination etched onto her face.

Leon, Magnolia, and Sonia all watched in wide-eyed wonder as the boy who looked to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown suddenly transform into something more. Terry let go of his bandana, taking a deep breath to calm the last of his agitated nerves. His gaze hardened. His body stopped trembling. He wanted to keep going. He wanted to keep fighting.

He wanted to _**win**_ _._

* * *

[ _****♪** Now Playing: Dunes (Medium) - Serious Sam: The First Encounter OST **♪**** _ ](https://youtu.be/gnAhYBC8fCw)

* * *

"Zorah, use your speed to get in close. Wait for my signal to use Ember."

Zorah nodded and dug her feet into the asphalt before shooting off toward Grookey.

Hop, still stunned by Terry's unexpected confidence, was barely able to respond. "Grookey, meet her head-on with Scratch!"

Grookey ran forward and the two collided, knocking each other back to their Trainers.

"Scor!" Zorah cursed before getting ready to charge again.

"Easy, Zorah," Terry said. "Don't focus on brute force. Dance around him, keep him on his toes."

She looked back at him with awe laced on her face. Terry didn't look worried at all. He nodded at her. "We can do this."

Her lips twitched into a smile. This was the Trainer she wanted to see. He was trusting her, so she needed to be better. She needed to be faster!

She turned back to her opponent and began taking another step towards him. Just as her foot touched the ground, a white aura began to surround her body. In the blink of an eye, she disappeared, leaving behind a cloud of dust and air. Grookey and Hop looked around the arena for any sign of her, only for Zorah to reappear right in front of Grookey.

"Crap! Use Branch Poke!" Hop called out.

Grookey thrust his stick forward and hit nothing but air as Zorah disappeared again. Grookey whirled around again, holding the stick in front of him as if his life depended on it. Zorah appeared next to him and again he swiped at her, missing again. Before Grookey could recover, Zorah materialized in front of him and once more he swung, hitting only the dust clouds she left behind and throwing him off balance.

"Now! Ember in his face!"

Stopping in front of Grookey, Zorah released a flame point-blank. Grookey could only brace himself as the super-effective attack tore into him, scorching parts of his green fur and sending him tumbling back towards Hop.

"C'mon Grookey, get up! Don't give up now!"

Grookey planted his stick on the ground as support and pushed himself onto his feet.

"Ember again! Don't let him get back up!"

The last thing Grookey saw before falling unconscious was Zorah sending another point-blank fireball into his face.

Hop let out a shaky breath as he returned Grookey. "Hoo boy, I may be in trouble now," he said as he readied his last Pokeball. "It'll be a close one, but that's exactly my kind of match!"

He launched the ball forward, releasing a Rookidee onto the field. Without a second to pause, Hop thrust his fist forward.

"Use Peck!"

"Meet it with Quick Attack!"

They crashed into each other and were both flung back to their Trainers. Zorah got back to her feet, but going up against a three versus one was finally starting to take a toll on her with her pants becoming heavier.

Terry noticed Hop's Rookidee was also panting heavily. If it was already tired after one attack, Hop must not have trained it up just yet. One more clean hit ought to do it.

"Fly up and use Leer! Stay out of her range!" Hop said, pointing a finger to the sky.

Rookidee flapped its wings and did so, soaring up over the arena and sending a glare towards Zorah. She shivered, but turned that anxiety into anger.

"Bunny scor ny-bun scor!" she yelled at the Rookidee, who only chuckled in response.

"Stay calm," Terry said to her, "He's trying to rile you up."

Zorah looked back at him in confusion.

"Let 'em come to us. I've got a plan."

She smiled and nodded, continuing to bounce on her feet. Terry watched the Rookidee carefully, looking for any sign of what it would do.

"Divebomb 'em, now!"

On Hop's command, Rookidee flipped through the air and set itself on a collision course with Zorah.

"This is it," Terry whispered so that only Zorah could hear. "Get ready."

Zorah stopped her bouncing and waited, even as her body yearned to charge forward. Just before Rookidee reached the ground, it leveled off, shooting towards Zorah like a rocket.

"Go, now!"

Zorah rushed towards the oncoming attacker. Both didn't hesitate in their attack, like two trains about to collide. Contact was imminent before Terry thrust his hand forward.

"Slide under and Ember upwards!"

Everyone's eyes widened as Zorah didn't falter, tucking into a slide causing Rookidee to fly right over her. With no room to miss, Zorah spat out an Ember right into Rookidee's stomach, launching it up into the air where it floated for a second before crashing back down onto the asphalt, unconscious.

* * *

_****♪** Stop Playing **♪**** _

* * *

"Terry is the winner!" Leon announced.

Terry blinked and the aura of confidence that had enveloped him subsided with his hand going back up to his bandana. Zorah fell back onto the asphalt, panting heavily but still conscious.

"Terry...that was incredible!" Leon grinned as he rushed up to Terry. "That was a right champion time right there! I almost wanted to let Charizard out to get in on the fun!"

"I can't believe you actually beat my whole team with just Zorah." Hop sighed as he returned Rookidee. "You and that Scorbunny are too much."

"I...actually won?" Terry couldn't believe it himself. It was like a fog had lifted midway through the battle after that voice…

_Congratulations, Terry._

Terry whirled around at the sound of splashing water. The Lapras from last night was back and smiling at him.

"Woah, is that an actual Lapras?!" Hop rushed forward, the sting of loss already faded from his mind.

Sonia joined him. "Oh, isn't that the one we saw on the way here, Terry?"

_You are correct._

All of them, save for Terry and Magnolia, flinched at the sound of Lapras's voice in their heads causing her to giggle.

"So, you two know each other?" Hop asked Terry.

Terry nodded, not breaking his stare from the Lapras. He frowned sadly at her. "So...that voice I heard was…?"

Lapras nodded, _It was._

"...Oh, I thought..." Terry's gaze fell. He could've sworn...

"You alright?" Leon said.

"...Yeah. I'm fine."

Hop turned to the champion. "So, how about it, Lee? Surely you're convinced now that I have what it takes...even if I lost the battle," he added with a scratch of his head.

Leon studied him before a smile appeared on his face. "Well, after seeing a match like that, I don't think I have any other choice." He reached into his cape and pulled out an envelope, complete with the champion's seal. "You may be a little rough around the edges when battling, and honestly you tend to get caught up in things like throwing your Pokeball, but I could feel the passion from you!" He handed the envelope to Hop. "I'd say you've earned it."

Hop's eyes sparkled as he grabbed the envelope and let out a tiny squeal of excitement.

A sharp whistling in the air stole everyone's attention as a sudden flash of red light fell out of the sky and landed just in front of Lapras, glowing with ethereal crimson energy. Hop gasped, pocketed his endorsement, and rushed over to them to pick them up.

"Woah, Wishing Stars! And two of them!" Hop turned to Terry. "You want one?"

Terry faltered. "I'm not gonna use it for Dynamaxing."

"Wishing Stars are said to make your dreams come true. It wouldn't hurt to keep one even if you don't want to do the Gym Challenge. Plus, it can't be a coincidence that I'm holding **two** of them."

"I guess I better step forward too," Leon said and he pulled out a second envelope. "What I saw today from you was nothing short of amazing, Terry. I know you said you didn't want to go on the Gym Challenge, but...I think it might be great for you."

Terry grabbed his bandana. This wasn't what he wanted to accomplish. He just wanted to make sure Hop got his endorsement and then everything would be fine. This wasn't…

Lapras swam around to the shore and pushed herself onto the sand, gliding across the ground until she joined the rest of them on the asphalt.

_Whatever you decide, I would like to join you, Terry._

"What?" Terry's grip tightened. "Why?"

She smiled. _Because I believe there is more to you than what you yourself believe and I wish to help you see it._

Ever tighter, his grip became.

Leon smiled softly and held out the endorsement letter to him. "What do ya say?"

He looked around at everyone, waiting for his decision with bated breath. On cue, the whispers grew in volume. He wasn't meant for this. He didn't have the knowledge like Hop or the passion like Leon. He was a fish out of water with no reason to be here. His victory had to have been a fluke.

...Was it? That question echoed against every cell in his body as his eyes drifted down to Zorah. She was staring patiently back up at him with joy and suspense. What he felt during that battle...he had no idea how to comprehend it. He could feel that spark within him still, pulsing against his body as if it wanted to ignite again. It terrified him, but...at the same time, it spurred him on.

His hand started to raise like invisible hands were guiding it along.

Was this really the best thing for him? The thought of putting himself at the mercy of the entire region chilled him to his core, but his hand still kept moving towards the envelope.

Was this what Mom and Dad would want for him? Both had always taken risks. Their victories despite the odds were what made him love them so much.

Closer and closer his hand got to the letter.

...Could he really do this after being alone for so long? That one thought finally made him hesitate. Even with Lapras's words and Zorah's presence, could he really do this? Did he want to take that chance?

He still didn't know, but... as Lapras said, it was natural to be afraid of change.

He grabbed the endorsement.

"...O-Okay."


End file.
